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Darlarlington JYlemonaMe J LiL.
RECOLLECTIONS
OF
RIFLEMAN HARRIS,(OLD 95th.)
WITH
Hiifctlote^ of \)iS (3^cixS aiitl |)i^ ComiatJc^.
EDITED BY
HENRY CURLING, Esq.,
HALF-PAY 52d foot,
AUTHOR OF "JOHN OF ENGLAND."
" This story
The world may read in me : my body's marli'd
Witli Roman swoidsj
And when a soldier was the theme, my nameWas not far off." Shakespeare.
LONDON:
H. HUllST, 27, KING WILLIAM STREET,CHARING CKOSS.
1848.
CLAYTON AND CO , PRINTERS,
16, HART STREEl', COVENT GARDEN.
TO THE MOST NOBLE
THE MARQUESS OF LONDONDERRY.
NOTICE.
Since the printiug of thit. volume was comiiieaced,
" Rifleman Harris" has removed from Richmond Street, Soho,
to 4, Upper James Street, Golden Square.
THE EDITOB.
London, March,
TO THE MOST NOBLE
THE MARQUESS OF LONDONDERRY,G.C.B. AND G.C.H.,
COLONEL OF THE SECOND LIFE GUARDS, &c. &e.,
IN TOKEN OF HIGH ADMIRATION OF HIS LORDSHIP's
CHIVALROUS BEARING
DURING THE BATTLES OF THE PENINSULA,
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,
. BY HIS OBEDIENT SERVANT,
THE EDITOE.
London, March, 1848.
ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR.
The following pages, describing the che=
quered life of a private soldier, who served
during the most glorious period of our
military history, speak so plainly for them-
selves, as scarcely to need any introductory
remarks from the editor, further than the
assurance of his own sincere conviction of
their truth. Such works as the narratives
of Rifleman Harris, from the very nature
of their details, afford occasionally more
graphic sketches of the actual scenes of
war, in its stern realities and concomitant
circumstances, than the more stately and
largely-grouped pictures of the Historian.
Nor are these humble records without
their moral.
I>Iany abuses and grievances are incident-
ally brought to light, that can be but rarely
heeded in the excitement and bustle of
active service, but which, nevertheless, for
11 ADVERTISEMENT.
the good of the soldier, may be of sufficient
importance to require correction.
The main source of our military supe-
riority over foreign nations has been almost
universally ascribed to the incomparable
discipline of the British army. That the
well-being and judicious treatment of the
private soldier is the basis of this system
can (we think) scarcely be doubted. To
maintain this discipline it is surely incum-
bent on the officers to become acquainted
with the nature and peculiar characteristics
of the men they have to conduct and con-
trol, both in the elation of victory and the
more difficult emergencies consequent upon
retreat. How this is best effected—by what
potent influence this mastery is exercised
—
and by what sort of standard the " rough
and ready" private soldier estimates, and
accordingly respects and obeys his officer,
will be duly shewn in the autobiography of
Kifleman Harris.
Henry Curling.
MarcTi^ 1848.
RECOLLECTIONS
RIFLEMAN HARRIS (Old 95th).
CHAPTER I.
Recruiting for the Army of Reserve—The penalty for de-
sertion—General Craufurd's cure for cowardice and
treachery—Trial of General Whitelock—Irish recruits
and the shillelagh—Protestant and Catholic—Danish
expedition—Riflemen at home.
My father was a shepherd, and I was a
sheep-boy from my earliest youth. Indeed,
as soon almost as I could run, I began
helping my father to look after the sheep on
the downs of Blandford, in Dorsetshire, where
I was born. Whilst I continued to tend the
'flocks and herds under my charge, and
2 RECOLLECTIONS OF
occasionally (in the long winter nights) to
learn the art of making shoes, I grew a
hardy little chap, and was one fine day in
the year 1802, drawn as a soldier for the
Army of Reserve. Thus, without troubling
myself much about the change which was to
take place in the hitherto quiet routine of
ray days, I was drafted into the 66th Regi-
ment of Foot, bid good-bye to my shepherd
companions, and was obliged to leave myfather without an assistant to collect his
flocks, just as he was beginning more than
ever to require one ; nay, indeed, I may say
to want tending and looking after himself,
for old age and infirmity were coming on
him ; his hair was growing as white as the
sleet of our downs, and his countenance
becoming as furrowed as the ploughed
fields around. However, as I had no choice
in the matter, it was quite as well that I did
not grieve over my fate.
My father tried hard to buy me off, and
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 3
would have persuaded the Serjeant of the
66th that I was of no use as a soldier, from
having maimed my right hand (by breaking
the fore-finger when a child). The Serjeant,
however, said I was just the sort of little
chap he wanted, and off he went, carrying
me (amongst a batch of recruits he- had col-
lected) away with him.
Almost the first soldiers I ever saw were
those belonging to the corps in which I was
now enrolled a member, and, on arriving at
Winchester, we found the whole regiment
there in quarters. Whilst lying at Winches-
ter (where we remained three months),
young as I was in the profession,! was picked
out, amongst others, to perform a piece of
duty that, for many years afterwards, re-
mained deeply impressed upon my mind,
and gave me the first impression of the
stern duties of a soldier's life. A private of
the 70th Regiment had deserted from that
corps, and afterwards enlisted into several
B 2
4 RECOLLECTIONS OF
other regiments; indeed, I was told at the
time (though I cannot answer for so great a
number) that sixteen different times he had
received the bounty and then stolen off.
Being, however, caught at last, he was
brought to trial at Portsmouth, and sen-
tenced by general court-martial to be shot.
The 66th received a route to Portsmouth,
to be present on the occasion, and, as the
execution would be a good hint to us young
'uns, there were four lads picked out of our
corps to assist in this piece of duty, myself
being one of the number chosen.
Besides these men, four soldiers from
three other regiments were ordered on the
firing-party, making sixteen in all. The
place of execution was Portsdown Hill, near
Hilsea Barracks, and the different regiments
assembled must have composed a force of
about fifteen thousand men, having been
assembled from the Isle of Wight, from
Chichester, Gosport, and other places. The
RFLEMAN HARRIS. 5
sight was very imposing, and appeared to
make a deep impression on all there. As
for myself, I felt that I would have given
a good round sum (had I possessed it) to
have been in any situation rather than the
one in which I now found myself; and when
I looked into the faces of my companions, I
saw, by the pallor and anxiety depicted in
each countenance, the reflection of my own
feelings. When ail was ready, we were
moved to the front, and the culprit was
brought out. He made a short speech to the
parade, acknowledging the justice of his
sentence, and that drinking and evil com-
pany had brought the punishment upon him.
He behaved himself firmly and well, and
did not seem at all to flinch. After being
blindfolded, he was desired to kneel down
behind a coflin, which was placed on the
ground, and the Drum-Major of the Hilsea
depot, giving us an expressive glance, we
immediately co mmenced loading.
b RECOLLECTIONS OF
This was done in the deepest silence, and,
the next moment, we were primed and ready.
There was then a dreadful pause for a few
moments, and the Drum-Major, again look-
ing towards us, gave the signal before agreed
upon (a flourish of his cane), and we
levelled and fired. We had been previously
strictly enjoined to be steady, and take good
aim, and the poor fellow, pierced by several
balls, fell heavily upon his back ; and as he
lay, with his arms pinioned to his sides, I
observed that his hands waved for a few
moments, like the fins of a fish when in the
agonies of death. The Drum-Major also
observed the movement, and, making
another signal, four of our party immedi-
ately stepped up to the prostrate body, and
placing the muzzles of their pieces to the
head, fired, and put him out of his misery.
The different regiments then fell back by
companies, and the word being given to
march past in slow time, when each com-
RIFLEMAN HAERIS. 7
pany came in line with the body, the word
was given to " mark time," and then " eyes
left," in order that we might all observe the
terrible example. We then moved onwards,
and marched from the ground to our differ-
ent quarters. The 66th stopped that night
about three miles from Portsdown Hill, and
in the morning we returned to Winchester.
The officer in command that day, I remem-
ber, was General Whitelock, who was after-
wards brought to court-martial himself.
This was the first time of our seeing that
officer. The next meeting was at Buenos
Ayres, and during the confusion of that day
one of us received an order from the fiery
Craufurd to shoot the traitor dead if he
could see him in the battle, many others
of the Eifles receiving the same order from
that fine and chivalrous officer.
The unfortunate issue of the Buenos
Ayres affair is matter of history, and I
have nothing to say about it; but I well
8 KECOLLECTIONS OF
remember the impression it made upon us
all at the time, and that Sir John Moore
was present at Whitelock's court-martial;
General Craufurd, and I think General
Auchmuty, Captain Eledfer of the Rifles,
Captain Dickson, and one of our privates,
being witnesses. We were at Hythe at the
time, and I recollect our officers going olF
to appear against Whitelock.
So enraged was Craufurd against him,
that I heard say he strove hard to have
him shot. Whitelock's father I also heard
was at his son's trial, and cried like an
infant during the proceedings. Whitelock's
sword was broken over his head I was told
;
and for months afterwards, when our men
took their glass, they used to give as a
toast " Success to grey hairs ^ but bad luck to
White-locks.'" Indeed that toast was drunk
in all the public-houses around for many
a-day.
Everything was new to me, I remember,
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 9
and I was filled with astonishment at the
basthng contrast I was so suddenly called
into from the tranquil and quiet of myformer life.
Whilst in Winchester, we got a route for
Ireland, and embarking at Portsmouth,
crossed over and landed at Cork. There
we remained nine weeks ; and being a smart
figure and very active, I was put into the
light company of the 66th, and, together
with the light corps of other regiments, we
were formed into light battalions, and sent
off to Dublin. Whilst in Dublin, I one day
saw a corps of the 95th Rifles, and fell so
in love with their smart, dashing, and devil-
may-care appearance, that nothing would
serve me till I was a Rifleman myself; so,
on arriving at Cashel one day, and falling
in with a recruiting-party of that regi-
ment, I volunteered into the 2nd battalion.
This recruiting-party were all Irishmen,
and had been sent over from England to
B 3
10 RECOLLECTIONS 01"
collect (amongst others) men from the
Irish Militia, and were just about to return
to England. I think they were as reckless
and devil-may-care a set of men as ever I
beheld, either before or since.
Being joined by a Serjeant of the 92nd
Highlanders, and a Highland Piper of the
same regiment (also a pair of real rollicking
blades), I thought we should all have gone
mad together. "VVe started on our journey,
one beautiful morning, in tip-top spirits,
from the Royal Oak, at Cashel; the whole
lot of us (early as it was) being three sheets
in the wind. When we paraded before the
door of the Royal Oak, the landlord and
landlady of the inn, who were quite as lively,
came reeling forth, with two decanters of
whiskey, which they thrust into the fists of
the Sergeants, making them a present of
decanters and all, to carry along with them,
and refresh themselves on the march. The
Piperthen struck up, the Sergeants flourished
KIFLEMAN HAREIS. 11
their decanters, and the whole route com-
menced a terrific yell. We then all began
to dance, and danced through the town,
every now and then stopping for another
pull at the whiskey decanters. Thus we
kept it up till we had danced, drank, shouted,
and piped thirteen Irish miles, from Cashel
to Clonmel. Such a day, I think, I never
spent, as I enjoyed with these fellows; and
on arriving at Clonmel, we were as glorious
as any soldiers in all Christendom need wish
to be. In about ten days after this, our
Sergeants had collected together a good
batch of recruits, and we started for Eng-
land. Some few days before we embarked
(as if we had not been bothered enough
already with the unruly Paddies), we were
nearly pestered to death with a detachment
of old Irish women, who came from dif-
ferent parts (on hearing of their sons having
enlisted), in order to endeavour to get them
away from us. Following us down to the
12 RECOLLECTIONS OF
wator's edge, they hung to their offspring,
and, dragging them away, sent forth such
dismal howls and moans that it was quite
distracting to hear them. The Lieutenant
commanding the party, ordered me (being
the only Englishman present) to endeavour
to keep them back. It was, however, as
much as I could do to preserve myself from
being torn to pieces by them, and I was
glad to escape out of their hands.
At length we got our lads safe on board,
and set sail for England.
Xo sooner were we out at sea, however,
than our troubles began afresh with these
hot-headed Paddies ; for, having now nothing
else to do, they got up a dreadful quarrel
amongst themselves, and a religious row
immediately took place, the Catholics re-
viling the Protestants to such a degree that
a general fight ensued. The poor Protest-
ants (being few in number) soon got the
worst of it, and as fast as we made matters
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 13
up among them, they broke out afresh and
beo-an the riot ao;ain.
From Pill, where we landed, we marched
to Bristol, and thence to Bath. Whilst in
Bath, our Irish recruits roamed about the
town, staring at and admiring everything
they saw, as if they had just been taken
wild in the woods. They all carried im-
mense shillelaghs in their fists, which they
would not quit for a moment. Indeed they
seemed to think their very lives depended
on possession of these bludgeons, being
ready enough to make use of them on the
slightest occasion.
From Bath we marched to Andover,
and when we came upon Salisbury Plain,
our Irish friends got up a fresh row. At
first they appeared uncommonly pleased
with the scene, and, dispersing over the soft
carpet of the Downs, commenced a series of
Irish jigs, till at length as one of the
Catholics was setting to his partner (a Pro-
14•
RECOLLECTIONS OF
testant), he gave a whoop and a leap into
the air, and at the same time (as if he
couldn't bear the partnership of a heretic
any longer), dealt him a tremendous blow
with his shillelagh, and stretched him upon
the sod. This was quite enough, and the
bludgeons immediately began playing away
at a tremendous rate.
The poor Protestants were again quickly
disposed of, and then arose a cry of Huzza
for the Wicklow boys, Huzza for the Con-
naught boys, Huzza for Munster, and Huzza
for Ulster! They then recommenced the
fight as if they were determined to make
an end of their soldiering altogether
upon Salisbury Plains. We had, I remem-
ber, four officers with us, and they did their
best to pacify their pugnacious recruits.
One thrust himself amongst them, but was
instantly knocked down for his pains, so
that he was glad enough to escape. After
they had completely tired themselves, they
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 15
began to slacken in their endeavours, and
apparently to feel the effect of the blows
they dealt each other, and at length suffer-
ing themselves to be pacified, the officers got
them into Andover.
Scarcely had we been a couple of hours
there, and obtained some refreshment, ere
these incorrigible blackguards again com-
menced quarrelling, and, collecting together
in the streets, created so serious a disturbance
that the officers, getting together a body of
constables, seized some of the most violent
and succeeded in thrusting them- into the
town jail; upon this their companions again
collected, and endeavoured to break open
the prison gates.
Baffled in this attempt, they rushed
through the streets knocking down every
body they met. The drums now com-
menced beating up for a volunteer corps
of the town, which, quickly mustering,
drew up in the street before the jail, and
16 RECOLLECTIONS OF
immediately were ordered to load with
baU.
This somewhat pacified the rioters, and
our officers persuading them to listen to a
promise of pardon for the past, peace was
at length restored amongst them.
The next day we marched for Ashford,
in Kent, wdiere I joined the 95th Rifles, and
about six months after my joining, four
companies of the second battahon were or-
dered on the expedition to Denmark. Weembarked at Deal, and sailing for the hos-
tile shores, landed on a little place called, I
think, Scarlet Island, somewhere between
Elsineur and Copenhagen.
The expedition consisted of about 30,000
men, and at the moment of our getting on
shore, the whole force set up one simulta-
neous and tremendous cheer, a sound I
cannot describe, it seemed so inspiring.
This, indeed, was the first time of my hear-
ing the style in which our men give tongue
RIFLEMAIT HARRIS. 17
when they get near the enemy, though
afterwards my ears became pretty well ac-
customed to such sounds.
As soon as we got on shore, the Rifles were
pushed forward as the advance, in chain
order, through some thick woods of fir, and
when we had cleared these woods and ap-
proached Copenhagen, sentries were posted
on the roads and openings leading towards
the town, in order to intercept all comers,
and prevent all supplies. Such posts weoccupied for about three days and nights,
whilst the town was being fired on by our
shipping. I rather think this was the first
time of Congreve rockets being brought
into play, and as they rushed through the
air in the dark, they appeared like so manyfiery serpents, creating, I should think, ter-
rible dismay among the besieged.
As the main army came up, we advanced
and got as near under the walls of the place
as we could without being endangered by the
IS IlECOLLECTIONS OF
firefrom ourown shipping. "We now received
orders ourselves to commence firin<?, and
the rattling of the guns I shall not easily
forget.
I felt so much exhilarated that I could
hardly keep back, and was checked by the
Commander of the company (Capt. Leech),
who called to me by name to keep my place.
About this time, my front-rank man, a tall
fellow named Jack Johnson, shewed a dis-
position as though the firing had on him an
effect the reverse of what it had on many
others of the company, for he seemed in-
clined to hang back, and once or twice
turned round in my face. I was a rear-
rank man, and porting my piece, in the
excitement of the moment I swore that if
he did not keep his ground, I would shoot
him dead on the spot ;x so that he found it
would be quite as dangerous for him to
return as to go on.
I feel sorry to record the want of courage
EIELEMAN HARRIS. 19
of this man, but I do so with the less pain
as it gives me the opportunity of saying
that during many years' arduous service, it
is the only instance I remember of a British
soldier endeavouring to hold back when his
comrades were going forward.
Indeed, Johnson was never again held in
estimation amongst the Rifle corps ; for the
story got wind that I had threatened to
shoot him for cowardice in the field, and
Lieut. Cox mentioned to the Colonel, that
he had overheard my doing so ; and such
was the contempt the man was held in by
the Rifles, that he was soon afterwards
removed from amongst us to a veteran bat-
talion.
Whilst in Denmark we led a tolerably
active life, the Rifles being continually on
the alert—ordered hither to-day, and coun-
termanded the next. Occasionally, too,
when wanted in a hurry, we were placed in
carts, and rattled over the face of the coun-
20 RECOLLECTIONS OF
try, in company with the dragoons of the
German Legion ; so that, if we had not so
much fighting as afterwards in the Peninsu-
lar, we had plenty of work to keep us from
idleness.
Occasionally, also, we had some pleasant
adventures among the blue-eyed Danish
lasses, for the Rifles were always terrible
fellows in that way.
One night, I remember, a party of us had
possession of a gentleman's house, in which
his family were residing. The family con-
sisted of the owner of the mansion, his
wife, and five very handsome daughters,
besides their servants.
The first night of our occupation of the
premises the party was treated with the
utmost civility, and everything was set be-
fore us as if we had been their equals ; for
although it was not very pleasant to have a
company of foreign soldiers in the house, it
was doubtless thought best to do everything
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 12
possible to conciliate such guests. Accor-
dingly, on this night, a large party of the
green-jackets unceremoniously sat down to
tea with the family.
Five beautiful girls in a drawing-room
were rather awkward companions for a set
of rough and ready Riflemen, unscrupulous
and bold, and I cannot say I felt easy. All
went on very comfortably for some time
;
our fellows drank their tea very genteelly,
whilst one young lady presided at the urn
to serve it out, and the others sat on each
side of their father and mother, chatting to
us, and endeavouring to make themselves as
agreeable as they could.
By and bye, however, some of our men
expressed themselves dissatisfied with tea
and toast, and demanded something stronger
;
and liquors were accordingly served to them.
This was followed by more familiarity, and,
the ice once broken, all respect for the host
and hostess was quickly lost. I had feared
22 RECOLLECTIONS OF
this would prove the case, and on seeing
several of the men comraence pulling the
young ladies about, kissing them, and pro-
ceeding to other acts of rudeness, I saw that
matters would quickly get worse, unless
I interfered. Jumping up, therefore, I
endeavoured to restore order, and upbraided
them with the blackguardism of their be-
haviour after the kindness with which we
had been used.
This remonstrance had some effect; and
when I added that I would immediately go
in quest of an officer, and report the first
man I saw ill use the ladies, I at length
succeeded in extricating them from their
persecutors.
The father and mother were extremely
grateful to me for my interference, and I
kept careful guard over the family whilst we
remained in that house, which luckily was
not long.
Soon after this the expedition returned to
EIFLEMAN HAERIS. 23
England, and I came, with others of the
Rifles, in a Danish man-of-war (the Princess
Caroline), and landed at Deal, from whence
we had started.
From Deal we marched to Hythe, and
there we lay until the year 1 808, and in
that year four companies of the second bat-
talion, to which I belonged, were ordered to
Portugal.
In that year I first saw the French.
24 IlECOLLECTIONS OF
CHAPTER II.
Embarkation for Portugal—Aldermanic fare— Lord Hill
over his wine, and in the field—Use of a dead Rifleman
—Wounded wine-butts.
I WISH I could picture the splendid
sight of the shipping in the Downs, at the
time we embarked with about 20,000 men.
Those were times which the soldiers of our
own more peaceable days have little concep-
tion of
At Cork, where our ships cast anchor, we
lay for something like six weeks, during
which time the expedition was not disem-
RIFLEMAN HAREIS. 25
barked, with the exception of our four com-
panies of Rifles, who were every daj^ landed
for the purpose of drill. On such occasions
our merry bugles sounded over the country,
and we were skirmished about in very lively
fashion, always being embarked again at
night.
At the expiration of the time I have
mentioned, our sails were given to the wind,
and amidst the cheers of our comrades, we
sailed majestically out of the Cove of Cork
for the hostile shore, where we arrived safely,
and disembarked at Mondego Bay.
The Rifles were the first out of the
vessels, for we were, indeed, always in the
front in advance, and in rear in the retreat.
Like the Kentish men of old, w^e claimed
the post of honour in the field.
Being immediately pushed forwards up
the country in advance of the main body,
many of us, in this hot climate, very soon
began to find out the misery of tlie frightful
c
26 RECOLLECTIONS OF
load we were condemned to march and fight
under, with a burning sun above our heads,
and our feet sinking every step into the hot
sand:
The weight I myself toiled under was
tremendous, and I often wonder at the
strength I possessed at this period, which
enabled me to endure it ; for, indeed, 1 am
convinced that many of our infantry sank
and died under the weight of their knap-
sacks alone. For my own part, being a
handicraft, I marched under a weight suf-
ficient to impede the free motions of a
donkey; for besides my well-filled kit, there
was the great-coat rolled on its top, my
blanket and camp kettle, my haversack,
stuffed full of leather for repairing the
men's shoes, together with a hammer and
other tools (the lapstone I took the liberty
of flinging to the devil), ship -biscuit and
beef for three days. I also carried my
canteen filled with water, my hatchet and
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 27
rifle, and eighty rounds of ball cartridge in
my pouch; this last, except the beef and
biscuit, being the best thing I owned, and
which I always gave the enemy the benefit
of, when opportunity offered.
Altgether the quantity of things I had on
my shoulders was enough and more than
enough for my wants, sufficient, indeed, to
sink a little fellow of five feet seven inches
into the earth. Nay, so awkwardly was the
load our men bore in those days, placed
upon their backs, that the free motion of the
body was impeded, the head held do-svn from
the pile at the back of the neck, and the
soldier half beaten before he came to the
scratch.
We marched till it was nearly dark, and
then halted for the night. I myself was
immediately posted sentinel between two
hedges, and in a short time General Fane
came up, and himself cautioned me to be
alert.
c 2
28 RECOLLECTIONS OF
" Remember, sentinel," lie said, " that wo
are now near an active enemy ; therefore bo
careful here, and mind what you are about."
Next day the peasantry sent into our
camp a great quantity of the good things of
their country, so that our men regaled
themselves upon oranges, grapes, melons,
and figs, and we had an abundance of de-
licacies which many of us had never before
tasted. Amongst other presents, a live calf
was presented to the Rifles, so that altogether
we feasted in our first entrance into Portu-
gal like a company of aldermen.
The next day we again advanced, and
being in a state of the utmost anxiety to come
up with the French, neither the heat of the
burning sun, long miles, or heavy knapsacks
were able to diminish our ardour. Indeed,
I often look back with wonder at the light-
hearted style, the jollity, and reckless in-
difference with which men who were des-
tined in so short a time to fall, hurried
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 29
onwards to the field of strife; seemingly
without a thought of anything but the sheer
love of meeting the foe and the excitement
of the battle.
It was five or six days before the battle
of Eoli9a, the army was on the march, and
we were pushing on pretty fast. The whole
force had slept the night before in the open
fields; indeed, as far as I know, (for the
Rifles were always in the front at this time,)
they had been for many days without any
covering but the sky. We were pelting
along through the streets of a village, the
name of which I do not think I ever knew,
so I cannot name it ; I was in the front, and
had just cleared the village, when I recollect
observing General Hill (afterwards Lord
Hill) and another officer ride up to a house,
and give their horses to some of the soldiery
to hold. Our bugles at that moment
sounded the halt, and I stood leaning upon
my rifle near the door of the mansion which
30 RECOLLECTIONS OF
General Hill had entered : there was a little
garden before the house, and I stood by the
gate. Whilst I remained there, the officer
who had entered with General Hill came to
the door, and called to me. " Rifleman,"
said he, " come here." I entered the gate,
and approached him. " Go," he continued,
handing me a dollar, " and try if you can
get some wine ; for we are devilish thirsty
here." Taking the dollar, I made my way
back to the village. At a wine-house, where
the men were crowding around the door,
and clamouring for drink, (for the day was
intensely hot,) I succeeded, after some little
difficulty, in getting a small pipkin full of
wine ; but the crowd was so great, that I
found as much trouble in paying for it as in
getting it ; so I returned back as fast as I
was able, fearing that the general would be
impatient, and move off before I reached
him. I remember Lord Hill was loosening
his sword-belt as I handed him the wine.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 31
" Drink first, Rifleman," said he; and I took
a good pull at the pipkin, and held it to him
again. He looked at it as I did so, and told
me I might drink it all up, for it appeared
greasy; so I swallowed the remainder, and
handed him back the dollar which I had
received from the officer. "Keep the
money," he said, " my man. Go back to
the village once more, and try if you cannot
get me another draught." Saying this, he
handed me a second dollar, and told me to
be quick. I made my way back to the
village, got another pipkin full, and returned
as fast as I could. The general was pleased
with my promptness, and drank with
great satisfaction, handing the remainder
to the officer who attended him ; and I
dare say, if he ever recollected the circum-
stance afterwards, that was as sweet a
draught, after the toil of the morning
march, as he has drank at many a noble-
man's board in old England since.
32 RECOLLECTIONS OF
I remember remarking Lord Hill, for the
second time in my life, under circumstances
Avhicli (from their not being of every-day
occurrence) fixed it upon my mind. The
29th regiment received so terrible a fire,
that I saw the right wing almost annihi-
lated, and the colonel (I think his name was
Lennox) lay sprawling amongst the rest.
We had ourselves caught it pretty hand-
somely ; for there was no cover for us, and
we were rather too near. The living skir-
mishers were lying beside heaps of their own
dead; but still we had held our own till
the battalion regiments came up. " Fire
and retire"* is a very good sound; but the
Rifles were not over fond of such notes.
We never performed that manoeuvre, except
when it was made pretty plain to us that it
was quite necessary ; the 29th, however, had
got their fairing here at this time ; and the
* " Fire and retire.,"—one of the bugle sounds to the
skirmishers, when hai'd pressed.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. .33
shock of that fire seemed to stagger the
whole line, and make them recoil. At the
moment, a little confusion appeared in the
ranks, I thought. Lord Hill was near at
hand, and saw it, and I observed him come
galloping up. He put himself at the head
of the regiment, and restored them to order
in a moment. Pouring a regular and sharp
fire upon the enemy, he galled them in re-
turn; and, remaining with the 29th till he
brought them to the charge, quickly sent
the foe to the right about. It seemed to
me that few men could have conducted the
business with more coolness and quietude
of manner, under such a storn^ of balls as
he was exposed to. Indeed, I have never
forgotten him from that day.
At the time I was remarking these mat-
ters (loading and firing as I lay), another
circumstance divided my attention for a
while, and made me forget even the gallant
conduct of General Hill. A man near me
c 3
34 EECOLLECTIONS OF
uttered a scream of agony; and, looking
from the 29th, who were on my right, to
the left, whence the screech had come, I
saw one of our sergeants, named Frazer,
sitting in a doubled-up position, and sway-
ing backwards and forwards, as though he
had got a terrible pain in his bowels. He
continued to make so much complaint, that
I arose and went to him, for he was rather
a crony of mine.
'* Oh ! Harris !" said he, as I took him
in my arms, " I shall die ! I shall die
!
The agony is so great that I cannot bear
it."
It was, indeed, dreadful to look upon him
;
the froth came from his mouth, and the
perspiration poured from his face. Thank
Heaven ! he was soon out of pain ; and, lay-
ing him down, I returned to my place.
Poor fellow ! he suffered more for the short
time that he was dying, than any man I
think I ever saw in the same circumstances.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 35
I had the curiosity to return and look at
him after the battle. A musket-ball, I
found, had taken him sideways, and gone
through both groins.
Within about half-an-hour after this I
left Sergeant Frazer, and, indeed, for the
time, had as completely forgotten him,
as if he had died a hundred years
back. The sight of so much bloodshed
around, will not suiFer the mind to dwell
long on any particular casuality, even
though it happen to one's dearest friend.
There was no time either to think, for all
was action with us Rifles just at this mo-
ment; and the barrel of my piece was so
hot from continual firing, that I could
hardly bear to touch it, and was obliged to
grasp the stock beneath the iron, as I con-
tinued to blaze away. James Ponton was
another crony of mine (a gallant fellow!);
he had pushed himself in front of me, and
was checked by one of our officers for his
36 RECOLLECTIONS OF
raslmess. "Keep back, you Ponton!" the
lieutenant said to him, more than once.
But Ponton was not to be restrained by
anything but a bullet when in action. This
time he got one; which, striking him in the
thigh, I suppose hit an artery, for he died
quickly. The Freilchmen's balls were fly-
ing very wickedly at that moment ; and I
crept up to Ponton, and took shelter by
lying behind, and making a rest for my
rifle of his dead body. It strikes me that I
revenged his death by the assistance of his
carcase. At any rate, I tried my best to
hit his enemies hard. There were two small
buildings in our front; and the French,
having managed to get into them, annoyed
us much from that quarter. A small rise
in the ground close before these houses, also
favoured them; and our men were being
handled very severely in consequence. They
became angry, and wouldn't stand it any
longer. One of the skirmishers, jumping
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 37
UJ3, rushed forward, crying, "Over, boys!
—
over! over!" when instantly the whole Hne
responded to the cry, " Over ! over ! over!"
They ran along the grass like wildfire, and
dashed at the rise, fixing their sword-
bayonets as they ran. The French light
bobs could not stand the sight, but turned
about,' and fled; and, getting possession of
their ground, we were soon inside the build-
ings. After the battle was over, I stepped
across to the other house I have mentioned,
in order to see what Avas going on there;
for the one I remained in was now pretty
well filled with the wounded (both French
and English,) who had managed to get
there for a little shelter. Two or three
surgeons, also, had arrived at this house,
and were busily engaged in giving their
assistance to the wounded, now also here
lying as thickly as in the building which I
had left ; but what struck me most forcibly
was, that from the circumstance of some
38 RECOLLECTIONS OF
wine-butts having been left in the apart-
ment, and their having in the engagement
been perforated by bullets, and otherwise
broken, the red wine had escaped most
plentifully, and ran down upon the earthen
floor, where the wounded were lying, so
that many of them were soaked in the wine
Avith which their blood was mingled.
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 39
CHAPTER TIL
Coming up with the enemy—Manoeuvres of the advance—Battle of Roli^a—Conjugal devotion.
It was on the 15th of August, when we
first came up with the French, and their skir-
mishers immediately commenced operations
by raining a shower of balls upon us as we
advanced, which we returned without delay.
The first man that was hit was Lieuten-
ant Bunbury; he fell pierced through the
head with a musket-ball, and died almost
immediately. I thought I never heard such
a tremendous noise as the firing made on
this occasion, and the men on both sides of
40 RECOLLECTIONS OF
me, I could occasionally observe, were fall-
ing fast. Being overmatched, we retired to
a rising ground, or hillock, in our rear, and
formed there all round its summit, standing
three deep, the front rank kneeling. In
this position we remained all night, expect-
ing the whole host upon us every moment.
At day-break, however, we received instruc-
tions to fall back as quickly as possible upon
the main body. Having done so, we now
lay down for a few hours' rest, and then
again advanced to feel for the enemy.
On the 17th, being still in front, we again
came up with the French, and^ I remember
observing the pleasing effect afforded by the
sun's rays glancing upon their arms, as
they formed in order of battle to receive us.
Moving on in extended order, under what-
ever cover the nature of the ground afforded,
together with some companies of the 60tb,
we began a sharp fire upon them ; and thus
commenced the battle of Rolica.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 41
I do not pretend to give a description of
this or any other battle I have been present
at. All I can do is, to tell the things
which happened immediately around me, and
that, I think, is as much as a private soldier
can be expected to do.
Soon afterwards the firing commenced,
and we had advanced pretty close upon the
enemy. Taking advantage of whatever
cover I could find, I threw myself down be-
hind a small bank, where I lay so secure, that,
although the Frenchmen's bullets fell pretty
thickly around, I was enabled to knock seve-
ral over without being dislodged ; in fact,
I fired away every round I had in my pouch
whilst lying on this spot.
At length, after a sharp contest, we forced
them to give ground, and, following them
up, drove them from their position in the
heights, and hung upon their skirts till they
made another stand, and then the game
beojan ao^ain.
42 RECOLLECTIONS OF
The Rifles, incleed, fought well this day,
and we lost many men. They seemed in
high spirits, and delighted at having driven
the enemy before them. Joseph Cochan was
by my side loading and firing very industri-
ously about this period of the day. Thirst-
ing with heat and action, he lifted his can-
teen to his mouth; "Here's to you, old
boy," he said, as he took a pull at its contents.
As he did so a bullet went through the can-
teen, and perforating his brain, killed him
in a moment. Another man fell close to
him almost immediately, struck by a ball in
tlie thigh.
Indeed we caught it severely just here,
and the old iron was also playing its part
amongst our poor fellows very merrily. I
saw a man named Symmonds struck full in
the face by a round shot, and he came to the
ground a headless trunk. Meanwhile, many
large balls bounded along the ground
amongst us so deliberately that we could
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 43
occasionally evade them without difficulty.
I could relate many more of the casualties
I witnessed on this day, but the above will
suffice. When the roll was called after the
battle, the females who missed their husbands
came along the front of the line to inquire of
the survivors whether they knew anything
about them. Amongst other names I heard
that of Cochan called in a female voice,
without being replied to.
The name struck me, and I observed the
poor woman who had called it, as she
stood sobbing before us, and apparently
afraid to make further inquiries about her
husband. No man had answered to his
name, or had any account to give of his fate.
I myself had observed him fall, as related
before, whilst drinking from his canteen;
but as I looked at the poor sobbing creature
before me, I felt unable to tell her of his
death. A.t length Captain Leech observed
her, and called out to the company,
44 RECOLLECTIONS OF
" Does any man here know what has
happened to Cochan ? If so, let him speak
out at once."
Upon this order I immediately related
what I had seen, and told the manner of his
death. After awhile Mrs. Cochan appeared
anxious to seek the spot where her husband
fell, and in the hope of still finding him alive,
asked me to accompany her over the field.
She trusted, notwithstanding what I had told
her, to find him yet alive.
" Do you think you could find it?" said
Captain Leech, upon being referred to.
I told him I was sure I could, as I had
remarked many objects whilst looking for
cover during the skirmishing.
" Go then," said the captain, " and shew
the poor woman the spot, as she seems so
desirous of finding the body."
I accordingly took myway over the ground
we had fought upon, she following and sob-
bing after me, and, quickly reaching the
KIFLEMAN HARKIS. 45
Spot wtere lier husband's body lay, pointed
it out to her.
She now soon discovered all her hopes were
in vain; she embraced a stiffened corpse,
and after rising and contemplating his dis-
figured face for some minutes, with hands
clasped, and tears streaming down her cheeks
she took a prayer-book from her pocket, and
kneeling down, repeated the service for the
dead over the body. When she had finished
she appeared a good deal comforted, and I
took the opportunity of beckoning to a
pioneer I saw near with some other men,
and together we dug a hole, and quickly
buried the body. Mrs. Cochan then re-
turned with me to the company to which
her husband had been attached, and laid
herself down upon the heath near us. She
lay amongst some other females, who were
in the same distressing circumstances with
herself, with the sky for her canopy, and a
turf for her pillow, for we had no tents with
46 RECOLLECTIONS OF
US. Poor woman ! I pitied her much ; but
there was no remedy. If she had been a
duchess she must have fared the same. She
was a handsome woman, I remember, and
the circumstance of my having seen her
husband fall, and accompanied her to find
his body, begot a sort of intimacy between
us. The company to which Cochan had
belonged, bereaved as she was, was now her
home, and she marched and took equal for-
tune with us to Yimiero. She hovered about
us during that battle, and then went with
us to Lisbon, where she succeeded in pro-
curing a passage to England. Such was my
first acquaintance with Mrs. Cochan. The
circumstances of our intimacy were singular,
and an attachment grew between us during
the short time we remained together. What
little attention I could pay her during the
hardships of the march I did, and I also
offered on the first opportunity to marry
her. " She had, however, received too great
EIFLEMAN HAKRIS. 47
a shock on the occasion of her husband's
death ever to think of another soldier," she
said; she therefore thanked me for my good
feeUng towards her, but dechned my offer,
and left us soon afterwards for England.
48 RECOLLECTIONS OF
CHAPTER IV.
Battle of Vimiero —Presentiments—The cobbler and the
cannon ball—Value of a handicraft—A lubberly artillery-
man —A bad shot and a good one—Conversation during
the heat of action.
It was on the 21st of August, that we
commenced fighing the battle of Vimiero.
The French came down upon us in a
column, and the Riflemen immediately com-
menced a sharp fire upon them from what-
ever cover they could get a shelter behind,
whilst our cannon played upon them from our
rear. I saw regular lanes torn through their
ranks as they advanced, which were immedi-
ately closed up again as they marched steadily
on. Whenever we saw a round shot thus
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 49
go through the mass, we raised a shout of
delight.
One of our corporals, named Murphy, was
the first man in the Rifles who was hit that
morning, and I remember more particularly
remarking the circumstance from his ap-
parently having a presentiment of his fate
before the battle began. He was usually
an active fellow, and up to this time had
shewn himself a good and brave soldier, but
on this morning he seemed unequal to his
duty. General Fane and Major Travers
were standing together on an early part of
this day. The general had a spy-glass in
his hand, and for some time looked anxiously
at the enemy. Suddenly he gave the word
to fall in, and immediately all was bustle
amongst us. The Honourable Captain
Packenham spoke very sharply to Murphy,
who appeared quite dejected and out of
spirits, I observed. He had a presentiment
of death, which is by no means an un-
D
50 KECOLLECTIONS OF
common circumstance, and I have observed
it once or twice since this battle.
Others besides myself noticed Murphy on
this morning, and, as we had reason to know
he was not ordinarily deficient in courage,
the circumstance was talked of after the
battle was over. He was the first man shot
that day.
Early on the morning of the battle, I re-
member being relieved from picket, and
throwing myself down ^o gain a few hour's
repose before the expected engagement. So
wearied was I with watching that I was
hardly prostrate before I was in a sound
sleep,—a sleep, which those only who have
toiled in the field can know. I was not,
however, destined to enjoy a very long re-
pose before one of our Serjeants, poking me
with the muzzle of his rifle, desired me to
get up, as many of the men wanted their
shoes repaired immediately. This was by
no means an uncommon occurrence, and I
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. bl
would fain have declined the job, but as
several of the Riflemen who had followed the
Serjeant, soon afterwards came round me
and threw their shoes and boots at myhead, I was fain to scramble on my legs,
and make up my mind to go to work.
On looking around, in order to observe
if there was any hut or shed in which I could
more conveniently exercise my craft, I
espied a house near at hand, on the rise of
a small hill. So I gathered up several
pairs of the dilapidated boots and shoes,
and immediately made for it. Seating my-
self down in a small room as soon as I en-
tered, I took the tools from my haversack and
prepared to work ; and as the boots of the
Captain of my Company, were amongst the
bad lot, and he was bare-footed for want of
them, I commenced with thein.
Hardly had I worked a quarter of an
hour, when a cannon-ball (the hrst an-
nouncement of the coming battle) cameD 2
52 EECOLLECTIONS OF
crashing through the walls of the house,
just above my head, and completely covered
the Captain's boot (as it lay between my
knees) with dust and fragments of the
building. There were only two persons in
the room at the time, an old and a young
woman, and they were so dreadfully scared
at this sudden visitation, that they ran about
the room, making the house echo with their
shrieks, till at length they rushed out into
the open air, leaving me alone with the
boots around me on the floor.
For my own part, although I was more
used to such sounds, I thought it was no time
and place to mend boots and shoes in, so,
being thus left alone in my glory, I shook
the dust from my apron, gathered up the
whole stock-in-trade from the floor, and
hastily replacing my tools in my haversack,
followed the example of the mistress of
the mansion and her daughter, and bolted
out of the house. When I got into the
'rifleman HARRIS. 53
open air, I found all in a state of bustle and
activity, the men falling in, and the officers
busily engaged, whilst twenty or thirty
mouths opened at me the moment I ap-
peared, calling out for their boots and shoes.
—" Where 's my boots, Harris, you hum-
bug ?" cried one. "Give me my shoes,
you old sinner," said another. " The Cap-
tain's boots here, Harris, instantly," cried
the Serjeant. " Make haste, and fall into
the ranks as fast as you can."
There was, indeed, no time for ceremony,
so, letting go the corners of my apron, I
threw down the whole lot of boots and
shoes for the men to choose for themselves
;
the Captain's being amongst the lot, with the
wax-ends hanging to them (as I had left
them when the cannon-ball so unceremo-
niously put a stop to my work), and quickly
shouldering my piece, I fell into the ranks
as I was ordered.
Just before the battle commenced in
54 RECOLLECTIONS OF
earnest, and whilst the officers were busily
engaged with their companies, shouting the
word of command, and arranging matters
of moment, Captain Leech ordered a section
of our men to move off, at double quick, and
take possession of a windmill, which was on
our left. I was amongst this section, and
set off full cry towards the mill, when
Captain Leech espied and roared out to me
by name to return.—" Hallo ! there, you
Harris !" he called, " fall out of that section
directly. We want you here, my man."
I, therefore, wheeled out of the rank, and
returned to him. " You fall in amongst
the men here, Harris," he said. " I shall
not send you to that post. The cannon will
play upon the mill in a few moments like
hail ; and what shall we do," he continued,
laughing, " without our head shoemaker to
repair our shoes ?"
It is long since these transactions took
place. But I remember the words of the
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 55
Captain as if they had been uttered but
yesterday; for that which was spoken in
former years in the field, has made a singular
impression on my mind. As 1 looked about
me, whilst standing enranked, and just
before the commencement of the battle, I
thought it the most imposing sight the
world could produce. Our lines glittering
with bright arms; the stern features of the
men, as they stood with their eyes fixed
unalterably upon the enemy, the proud
colours of England floating over the heads of
the different battalions, and the dark cannon
on the rising ground, and all in readiness
to commence the awful work of death, with
a noise that would deafen the whole multi-
tude. Altogether, ' the sight had a singular
and terrible eff'ectupon the feelings of ayouth,
who, a few short months before, had been a
solitary shepherd upon the Downs of Dorset-
shire, and had never contemplated any other
sort of life than the peaceful occupation of
56 KECOLLECTIONS OF
watching the innocent sheep as they fed
upon the grassy turf.
The first cannon-shot I saw fired, I re-
member was a miss. The artilleryman
made a sad bungle, and the ball went wide
of the mark. We were all looking anxiously
to see the efi*ect of this shot ; and another of
the gunners (a red-haired man) rushed at
the fellow who had fired, and in the excite-
ment of the moment, knocked him head
over heels with his fist. D you, for a
fool," he said;
" what sort of a shot do you
call that ? Let me take the gun." He
accordingly fired the next shot himself, as
soon as the gun was loaded, and so truly
did he point it at the French column on the
hill side, that we saw the fatal effect of the
destructive missile, by the lane it made and
the confusion it caused.
Our Riflemen (who at the moment were
amongst the guns), upon seeing this, set up
a tremendous shout of delight, and the
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 57
battle commencing immediately, we were all
soon hard at work.
I myself was very soon so hotly engaged,
loading and firing away, enveloped in the
smoke I created, and the cloud which hung
about me from the continued fire of mycomrades, that I could see nothing for a
few minutes but the red flash of my own
piece amongst the white vapour clinging to
my very clothes. This has often seemed to
me the greatest drawback upon our present
system of fighting ; for whilst in such state,
on a calm day, until some friendly breeze of
wind clears the space around, a soldier knows
no more of his position and what is about
to happen in his front, or what has hap-
pened (even amongst his own companions)
than the very dead lying around. The
Rifles, as usual, were pretty busy in this
battle. The French, in great numbers, came
steadily down upon us, and we pelted away
upon them like a shower of leaden hail.
58 KECOLLECTIONS OF
Under any cover we could find, we lay;
firing one moment, jumping up and run-
ning for it the next ; and, when we could
see before us, we observed the cannon-
balls making a lane through the enemy's
columns as they advanced, huzzaing and
shouting like madmen.
Such is my remembrance of the com-
mencement of tlie battle of Yimiero. The
battle began on a fine bright day, and the
sun played on the arms of the enemy's
battalions, as they came on, as if they had
been tipped with gold. The battle soon
became general ; the smoke thickened around,
and often I was obliged to stop firing, and
dash it aside from my face, and try in vain
to get a sight of what was going on, whilst
groans and shouts and a noise of cannon
and musketry appeared almost to shake the
very ground. It seemed liell upon earth I
thought.
A man named John Low stood before me
KIFLEMAN HARRIS. 59
at this moment, and he turned round during
a pause in our exertions, and addressed me
:
" Harris, you humbug," he said, " you have
got plenty of money about you, I know ; for
you are always staying about and' picking up
what you can find on the field. But I think
this will be your last field-day, old boy.
A good many of us will catch it, I suspect,
to-day." " You are right, Low," I said. " I
have got nine guineas in my pack, and if I
am shot to-day, and you yourself escape, it 's
quite at your service. In the meantime,
however, if you see any symptoms of mywishing to flinch in this business I hope you
will shoot me with your own hand." Low,
as well as myself, survived this battle, and
after it was over, whilst we sat down wjth
our comrades and rested, amongst other
matters talked over. Low told them of our
conversation during the heat of the day, and
the money I had collected, and the Rifles
from that time had a great respect for me.
60 RECOLLECTIONS OF
It is, indeed, singular, how a man loses or
gains caste with his comrades from his be-
haviour, and how closely he is observed in
the field. The officers, too, are commented
upon and closely observed. The men are
very proud of those who are brave in the
field, and kind and considerate to the
soldiers under them. An act of kindness
done by an officer has often during the battle
been the cause of his life being saved. Nay,
whatever folks may say upon the matter, I
know from experience, that in our army the
men like best to be officered by gentlemen,
men whose education has rendered them
more kind in manners than your coarse
officer, sprung from obscure origin, and
whose style is brutal and overbearing.
My observation has often led me to remark
amongst men, that those whose birth and
station might reasonably have made them
fastidious under hardship and toil, have
generally borne their miseries without a
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 61
murmur;—whilst those whose previous life,
one would have thought, might have better
prepared them for the toils of war, have been
the first to cry out and complain of their
hard fate.
And here let me bear testimony to the
courage and endurance of that army under
trials and hardships such as few armies, in
any age, I should think, endured. I have
seen officers and men hobbling forward, with
tears in their eyes from the misery of long
miles, empty stomachs, and ragged backs,
without even shoes or stockings on their
bleeding feet, and it was not a little that
would bring a tear into the eyes of a Rifle-
man of the Peninsular. Youths, who had
not long been removed from their parents'
home and care, officers and men, have borne
hardships and privations such as (in our
own more peaceful days) we have little con-
ception of; and yet these men, faint and
weary with toil, would brighten up in a
62 RECOLLECTIONS OF
moment when the word ran amongst us that
the enemy were at hand.
I remember on the march from Salamanca
seeing many men fail. Our marches were
long, and the weakly ones were found out.
It was then pretty much "every one for
himself;" those whose strength began to fail
looked neither to the right nor the left, but,
with glassy eyes, they kept onward, stagger-
ing on as well as they could. When once
down, it was sometimes not easy to get up
again, and few were inclined to help their
comrades when their own strength was but
small. On this march, I myself (strong as
I was) felt completely done up, and fell in
the streets of a town called, I think, Zamora,
where I lay, like one dead, for some time.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 63
CHAPTER Y.
The battle-field of Vimiero—Major Travers and his wig
—
A military family—A scapegrace—Unpleasant surprise
—Playing fast and loose with fortune—General Napier
—
Boney's invincibles—Firing cold steel at the enemy
—
Church plunder—A haphazard shot.
. It was just at the close of the battle of
Vimiero : the dreadful turmoil and noise
of the engagement had hardly subsided,
and I began to look into the faces of the
men close around me, to see who had escaped
the dangers of the hour. Four or five days
back I had done the same thing at Roliga.
One feels, indeed, a sort of curiosity to
64 RECOLLECTIONS OF
know, after such a scene, who is remaining
alive amongst the companions endeared by
good conduct, or disliked from bad charac-
ter, during the hardships of the campaign.
I saw that the ranks of the Riflemen looked
very thin ; it seemed to me one half had
gone down. We had four companies of
the 95th, and were commanded that day
by Major Travers. He was a man much
liked by the men of the Rifles, and, indeed,
deservedly beloved by all who knew him.
He was a tight hand ; but a soldier likes that
better than a slovenly officer.
I had observed him more than once during
this day, spurring here and there, keeping
the men well up, and apparently in the
highest spirits. He could not have enjoyed
himself more, I am sure, if he had been at a
horse-race, orfollowing a good pack of hounds.
The battle was just over; a flag of truce had
come over from the French ; General Keller-
man, I think, brought it. We threw our-
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 65
selves down where we were standing when
the fire ceased. A Frenchman lay close
beside me ; he was dying, and called to me
for water; which I understood him to re-
quire more from his manner than his words
(he pointed to his mouth). I need not say
that I got up, and gave it him. Whilst I
did so, down galloped the major in front,
just in the same good spirits he had been
all day;plunging along, avoiding, with
some little difficulty, the dead and dying,
which were strewed about. He was never
a very good-looking man, being hard-featured
and thin; a hatchet-faced man, as we used
to say. But he was a regular good 'un,—
a
real English soldier ; and that 's better than
if he had been the handsomest ladies'-man in
the army. The major just now disclosed
what none of us, I believe, knew before;
namely, that his head was bald as a coot's,
and that he had covered the nakedness of
his nob, up to the present time, by a flowing
66 RECOLLECTIONS OF
Caxon, which, during the heat of the action,
had somehow been dislodged, and was
lost; yet was the major riding hither and
thither, digging the spurs into his horse's
flanks, and just as busy as before the firing
had ceased. " A guinea," he kept crying as
he rode, "to any man who will find mywig !
" The men, I remember, notwith-
standing the sight of the wounded and dead
around them, burst into shouts of laughter
at him as he went; and " a guinea to any
man who will find my wig," was the saying
amongst us long after that affair.
Many a man has died in crossing a brook,
it is said, who has escaped the broad waves
of the Atlantic half-a-dozen times; the major
had escaped the shot and shell of the enemy
in many a hard-fought field, and came off
with credit and renown ; but it is somewhat
singular that Punch and Judy were the in-
dividuals who were destined by the Fates to
cut his thread of life, for his horse was
EIFLEJIiVN HAERIS. 67
startled one day, as he rode through the
streets of Dublin city, b}^ the clatter those
worthies made with their sticks in one of
their domestic quarrels, and, swerving to one
side, that noble soldier was killed.
THE EAftllLY OF THE COIIYNS.
In the band of the first battalion of the
Rifles, we had a father and seven sons, of the
name of Cornyns. The elder son, who was
called Fluellyn, was the best musician of
them all, and on the regiment going on
service to Portugal, he was made band-
master. Whilst fighting against Massena,
Fluellyn Comyns, one night, took offence at
a man named Cadogan, also belonging to
our band, and, catching him at advantage,
beat him so severely that he left him for
dead. The transaction having been seen by
some of the soldiery, Fluellyn Comyn was
fearful of the consequences, and, supposing
he had committed murder, fled to Marshal
68 RECOLLECTIONS OF
Massena's army, where he was received
kindly, and, in consequence of his musical
knowledge, promoted to a good situation in
the band of one of the French regiments.
After a while, however, he made some mistake
or other there^ and, the French army being no
safe place for him any longer, he once more
changed service, and returned amongst his
old companions, the Rifles, where he found,
to his surprise, Cadogan in the ranks, sound
and well again. This species of incon-
stancy not being approved of by our leaders,
he was tried by court-martial, and sentenced
to be shot. Two or three other men, who
had also committed heavy crimes, were
under orders at the same time, I recollect,
to undergo the same punishment. Colonel
Beckwith was at that time our lieutenant-
colonel, and, having a great respect for
Comyn's father, made application to the
Duke of Wellington for a pardon for his
son Fluellyn. Accordingly, when he was
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 69
brought forth amongst the other criminals,
it was notified to him that, taking into con-
sideration the interest made by his heuten-
ant-colonel, he should be forgiven : but the
Duke, I understand, desired it to be ex-
pressly stated to him, that if he ever detected
him in that country again, in the garb of a
soldier in the British service, nothing should
save him from punishment. Comyn, there-
fore, left Spain, without the good wish of a
single man in our corps, for he was pretty
well known to be altogether a bad subject.
Meanwhile, the news had reached his friends
in England that he had been shot, and his
wife, having quickly found a substitute, was
married again, when he thought proper,
somewhat tardily, to seek his home. At
first the meeting was rather a stormy one,
and the neighbours thought that murder
would ensue, for Comyn found himself
provided, not only with a locum tenens^
but also with a little baby, neither of whom
70 RECOLLECTIONS OF
he could possibly have any great liking
for.
However, matters were eventually amica-
bly arranged, and Fluellyn Comyn having
made out his claim, and satisfied the second
husband that he had never had a musket-
ball in his body, broke up the establishment,
and took his wife off to Hythe, in Kent,
where he again enlisted in the third battalion
of the Rifles, and joined them at Shoreham
Cliff. In the third battalion he once more
displayed his art, and, from his excellence
as a musician, was made master of the
band. Not satisfied with his good fortune,
he again misconducted himself, and was
once more reduced to the ranks. After a
while he succeeded in getting exchanged to
the eighty-fifth regiment, where he likewise
managed to insinuate himself into the good
graces of the commanding ofiicer, and by his
musical talents, also, once more, into the
situation of master of the band. Here he
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. Jl
might even yet have retrieved himself, and
lived happily, but he began to cut fresh
capers, and his ill-disposition and drunken
conduct were so apparent the moment he
got into an easy way of life, that it was
found impossible to keep him in the situa-
tion, and he was again reduced, and
eventually entirely dismissed, as too bad for
anything. One of his brothers had, mean-
while, obtained the situation he held in the
first battalion of the Rifles, and was greatly
respected for his good conduct. He .was
killed, I remember, at Vittoria, by a cannon-
ball striking his head from his shoulders.
The other five Comyns, as far as I ever
knew, lived and prospered in the service.
The old father was eventually discharged,
and received a pension. What was, how-
ever, the ultimate fate of the bad sheep of
this flock (Fluellyn Comyn), and whether he
ever succeeded in becoming a band-master
in the service of any other country, or
72 RECOLLECTIONS OF
whether he ultimately reached a still more
elevated situation, I never heard, but should
think from all I knew and have related,
that it was not likely he ever came to good.
GENERAL NAPIER.
I remember meeting with General Napier
before the battle of Yimiero. He was then,
I think, a major; and the meeting made so
great an impression on me, that I have
never forgotten him. I was posted in a
wood the night before the battle, in the front
of our army, where two roads crossed each
other. The night was gloomy, and I was
the very out-sentry of the British army.
As I stood on my post, peering into the
thick wood around me, I was aware of foot-
steps approaching, and challenged in a low
voice. Receiving no answer, I brought my
rifle to the port, and bade the strangers
come forward. They were Major Napier,
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 73
(then of the 50th foot, I think,) and an
officer of the Rifles. The major advanced
close up to me, and looked hard in myface.
" Be alert here, sentry," said he, " for I
expect the enemy upon us to-night, and I
know not how soon."
I was a young soldier then, and the lonely
situation I was in, together with the im-
pressive manner in which JMajor Napier
delivered his caution, made a great impres-
sion on me, and from that hour I have
never forgotten him. Indeed, I kept care-
ful watch all night, listening to the slight-
est breeze amongst the foliage, in expecta-
tion of the sudden approach of the French.
They ventured not, however, to molest us.
Henry Jessop, one of my companions in the
Kifles, sank and died of fatigue on this night,
and I recollect some of our men burying
him in the wood at daybreak, close to mypost.
E
74 RECOLLECTIONS OF
During the battle, next day, I remarked
the gallant style in which the 50th, Major
Napier's regiment, came to the charge.
They dashed upon the enemy like a torrent
breaking bounds, and the French, unable
even to bear the sight of them, turned and
fled. Methinks at this moment I can hear
the cheer of the British soldiers in the
charge, and the clatter of the Frenchmen's
accoutrements, as they turned in an instant,
and went off, hard as they could run for it. I
remember, too, our feeling towards the enemy
on that occasion was . the north side of
friendly ; for they had been firing upon us
Rifles very sharply, greatly outnumbering
our skirmishers, and appearing inclined to
drive us off the face of the earth. Their
lights, and grenadiers, I, for the first time,
particularly remarked on that day. The
grenadiers (the 70th, I think) our men
seemed to know well. They were all fine-
looking young men, wearing red shoulder-
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 75
knots and tremendous-looking moustaches.
As they came swarming upon us, they rained
a perfect shower of balls, which we re-
turned quite as sharply. Whenever one of
them was knocked over, our men called out
" There goes another of Boney's Invin-
cibles." In the main body, immediately in
our rear, were the second battalion 52 nd,
the 50th, the second battalion 43rd, and a
German corps, whose number I do not re-
member, besides several other regiments.
The whole line seemed annoyed and angered
at seeing the Rifles outnumbered by the
Invincibles, and as we fell back, "firing and
retiring," galling them handsomely as we
did so, the men cried out (as it were
with one voice) to charge. " D—n them !"
they roared, " charge ! charge !" General
Fane, however, restrained their impetuosity.
He desired them to stand fast, and keep
their ground.
" Don't be too eager, men," he said, as
E 2
76 RECOLLECTIONS OF
coolly as if we were on a drill-parade in old
England ;*' I don't want you to advance
just yet. AVell done, 95th !" he called out,
as he galloped up and down the line ;" well
done 43rd, 52nd, and well done all. I '11
not forget, if I live, to report your conduct
to-day. They shall hear of it in England,
my lads !
"
A man named Brotherwood, of the 95th,
at this moment rushed up to the general,
and presented him with a green feather,
which he had torn out of the cap of a
French light-infantry soldier he had killed.
—"God bless you general!" he said; "wear
this for the sake of the 95th." I saw the
general take the feather, and stick it in his
cocked hat. The next minute he gave the
word to charge, and down came the whole
line, through a tremendous fire of cannon
and musketry, — and dreadful was the
slaughter as they rushed onwards. As they
came up with us, we sprang to our feet,
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 77
gave one hearty cheer, and charged along
with them, treading over our own dead and
wounded, who lay in the front. The 50th
were next us as we went, and I recollect, as
I said, the firmness of that regiment in the
charge. They appeared like a wall of iron.
The enemy turned and fled, the cavalry
dashing upon them as they went off.
After the day's work was over, whilst
strolling about the field, just upon the spot
where this charge had taken place, I
remarked a soldier of the 43rd, and a French
grenadier, both dead, and lying close
together. They had apparently killed each
other at the same moment, for both weapons
remained in the bodies of the slain. Bro-
therwood was lying next me during a part
of this day; he was a Leicestershire man,
and was killed afterwards by a cannon-ball
at Vittoria. I remember his death more
particularly from the circumstance of that
very ball killing three of the company at
78 RECOLLECTIONS OF
the same moment, viz. Lieutenant Hopwood,
Patrick Mahone, and himself. Brotherwood
was amongst the skirmishers with me on
this day. He was always a lively fellow,
but rather irritable in disposition. Just as
the French went to the right-about, I re-
member he d—d them furiously ; and, all his
bullets being gone, he grabbed a razor from
his haversack, rammed it down, and fired it
after them.
During this day I myself narrowly es-
caped being killed by our own dragoons,
for, somehow or other, in the confusion, I
fell whilst they were charging, and, the
whole squadron thundering past, just missed
me, as 1 lay amongst the dead and wounded.
Tired and overweighted with my knapsack
and all my shoe-making implements, I lay
where I had fallen, for a short time, and
watched the cavalry as theygained the enemy.
I observed a fine, gallant-looking officer
leading them on in that charge. He was a
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 79
brave fellow, and bore himself like a hero;
with his sword waving in the air, he cheered
the men on, as he went dashing upon the
enemy, and hewing and slashing at them in
tremendous style. I watched for him as
the dragoons came off after that charge,
but saw him no more ; he had fallen. Fine
fellow ! his conduct indeed made an impres-
sion upon me that I shall never forget, and
I was told afterwards that he was a brother
of Sir John Eustace.
A French soldier was lying beside me at
this time ; he was badly wounded, and hear-
ing him moan as he lay, after I had done
looking at the cavalry, I turned my atten-
tion to him, and, getting up, lifted his head,
and poured some water into his mouth.
He was dying fast; but he thanked me in a
foreign language, which, although I did not
exactly understand, I could easily make out
by the look he gave me. Mullins, of the
Rifles, who stepped up whilst I supported his
80 RECOLLECTIONS OF
head, d—d me for a fool for my pains.
" Better knock out his brains, Harris," said
he; "he has done us mischief enough, I'll be
bound for it, to-day."
After the battle, I strolled about the field,
in order to see if there was anything to be
found worth picking up amongst the dead.
The first thing I saw was a three-pronged
silver fork, which, as it lay by itself, had
most likely been dropped by some person
who had been on the look out before me. Alittle further on I saw a French soldier sit-
ting against a small rise in the ground or
bank. He was wounded in the throat, and
appeared very faint, the bosom of his coat
being saturated with the blood which had
flowed down. By his side lay his cap, and
close to that was a bundle containing a
quantity of gold and silver crosses, which I
concluded he had plundered from some con-
vent or church. He looked the picture of
a sacrilegious thief, dying hopelessly, and
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 81
overtaken by Divine wrath. I kicked over
his cap, which was also full of plunder,
but I declined taking anything from him.
I felt fearful of incurring the wrath of
Heaven for the like offence, so I left him,
and passed on. A little further off lay anofficer of the 50th regiment. I knew himby sight, and recognised him as he lay.
He was quite dead, and lying on his back.
He had been plundered, and his clothes
were torn open. Three bullet-holes wereclose together in the pit of his stomach:
beside him lay an empty pocket-book, and.his epaulette had been pulled from his
shoulder.
I had moved on but a few paces, when I
recollected that perhaps the officer's shoes
might serve me, my own being considerably
the worse for wear, so I returned again,,
went back, pulled one of his shoes off, andknelt down on one knee to try it on. It
was not much better than my own; how-
E 3
82 KECOLLECTIONS OF
ever, I determined on the exchanofe, and
proceeded to take off its fellow. As I did
so I was startled by the sharp report of a
firelock, and, at the same moment, a bullet
whistled close by my head. Instantly
starting up, I turned, and looked in the
direction whence the shot had come.
There was no person near me in this part
of the field. The dead and the dying lay
thickly all around ; but nothing else could
I see. I looked to the priming of my rifle,
and again turned to the dead officer of the
50th. It was evident that some plunder-
ing scoundrel had taken a shot at me, and
the fact of his doing so proclaimed him one
of the enemy. To distinguish him amongst
the bodies strewn about was impossible;
perhaps he might himself be one of the
wounded. Hardly had I efi*ected the ex-
change, put on the dead officer's shoes, and
resumed my rifle, when another shot took
place, and a second ball whistled past me.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 83
This time I was ready, and turning quickly,
I saw my man : he was just about to squat
down behind a small mound, about twenty
paces from me. I took a haphazard shot
at him, and instantly knocked him over.
I immediately ran up to him; he had
fallen on his face, and I heaved him over
on his back, bestrode his body, and drew
my sword-bayonet. There was, however,
no occasion for the precaution, as he was
even then in the agonies of death.
It was a relief to me to find I had not been
mistaken. He was a French light-infantry
man, and I therefore took it quite in the
way of business—^he had attempted my life,
and lost his own. It was the fortune of
war; so, stooping down, with my sword I
cut the green string that sustained his
calibash, and took a hearty pull to quench
my thirst.
84 RECOLLECTIONS OF
CHAPTER VI.
Booty— Portuguese chivalry— General Kellerman—Day
after a battle.
After I had shot the French light-infantry
man, and quenched my thirst from his cali-
bash, finding he was quite dead, I proceeded
to search him. Whilst I turned him about
in the endeavour at finding the booty I felt
pretty certain he had gathered from the
slain, an officer of the sixtieth approached,
and accosted me.
" What ! looking for money, my lad,"
said he, "eh?"
"I am sir," I answered; "but I cannot
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 85
discover where this fellow has hid his
hoard."
" You knocked him over, my man," he
said, " in good style, and deserve something
for the shot. Here," he continued, stooping
down, and feeling in the lining of the
Frenchman's coat, "this is the place where
these rascals generally carry their coin. Rip
up the lining of his coat, and then search in
his stock. I know them better than you
seem to do."
Thanking the officer for his courtesy, I
proceeded to cut open the lining of his
jacket with my sword-bayonet, and was
quickly rewarded for my labour by finding
a yellow silk purse, wrapped up in an old
black silk handkerchief. The purse con-
tained several doubloons, three or four na-
poleons, and a few dollars. Whilst I was
counting the money, the value of which,
except the dollars, I did not then know, I
heard the bugle of the Rifles sound out the
86 RECOLLECTIONS OF
assembly, so I touched my cap to the
officer, and returned towards them.
The men were standing at ease, with the
officers in front. As I approached them,
Major Travers, who was in command of the
four companies, called me to him.
" What have you got there, sir?" he said.
" Shew me."
I handed him the purse, expecting a rep-
rimand for my pains. He, however, only
laughed as he examined it, and, turning,
shewed it to his brother-officers.
"You did that well, Harris," he said,
"and I am sorry the purse is not better
filled. Fall in." In saying this, he handed
me back the purse, and I joined my com-
pany. Soon afterwards, the roll being
called, we were all ordered to lie down and
gain a little rest after our day's work.
We lay as we had stood enranked upon
the field, and in a few minutes, I dare say,
one half of that green line, overwearied
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 87
with their exertions, were asleep upon the
ground they had so short a time before been
fiojhtino^ on. After we had lain for some
little time, I saw several men strolling about
the fields, so I again quietly rose, with one or
two others of the Rifles, and once more
looked about me, to see what I could pick
up amongst the slain.
I had rambled some distance, when I saw
a French officer running towards me with
all his might, pursued by at least half a
dozen horsemen. The Frenchman was a
tall, handsome-looking man, dressed in a
blue uniform ; he ran as swiftly as a wild In-
dian, turning and doubling like a hare. I
held up my hand, and called to his pursuers
not to hurt him. One of the horsemen,
however, cut him down with a desperate
blow, when close beside me, and the next
wheeling round, as he leaned from his sad-
dle, passed his sword through the body.
I am sorry to say there was an English
88 RECOLLECTIONS OF
dragoon amongst these scoundrels; the
rest, by their dress, I judged to be Portu-
guese cavalry. Whether the Frenchman
thus slaughtered was a prisoner trying to
escape, or what was the cause of this cold-
blooded piece of cruelty, I know not, as the
horsemen immediately galloped off without a
word of explanation ; and feeling quite dis-
gusted with the scene I had witnessed, I re-
turned to my comrades, and again throwing
myself down, was soon as fast asleep as any
there.
I might have slept perhaps half an hour,
when, the bugles again sounding, we all
started to our feet, and were soon afterwards
marched off to form the picquets. Towards
evening I was posted upon a rising ground,
amongst a clump of tall trees. There
seemed to have been a sharp skirmish here,
as three Frenchmen were lying dead
amongst the long grass upon the spot were
I was standing. As I threw my rifle to my
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 89
shoulder, and walked past them on my beat,
I observed they had been plundered, and
their haversacks having been torn off, some
of the contents were scattered about.
Among other things, a small quantity of
biscuit lay at my feet.
War is a sad blunter of the feelings, I
have often thought since those days. The
contemplation of three ghastly bodies in this
lonely spot failed then in making the
slightest impression upon me. The sight
had become, even in the short time I had
been engaged in the trade, but too familiar.
The biscuits, however, which lay in mypath, I thought a blessed windfall, and,
stooping, I gathered them up, scraped off
the blood with which they were sprinkled
with my bayonet, and ate them ravenously.
As I stood at the edge of the little planta-
tion, and looked over to the enemy's side, I ob-
served a large body of their cavalry drawn
up. I love to call to mind the most trivial
90 KECOLLECTIONS OF
circumstances which I observed whilst in
the Peninsular, and I remember many things,
of small importance in themselves, and, in-
deed, hardly remarked at the time, as forci-
bly as if they had been branded into my
memory. I recollect keeping a very sharp
look-out at the French cavalry on that
evening, for I thought them rather too near
my post ; and whilst I stood beneath one of
the tall trees and watched them, it com-
menced raining, and they were ordered to
cloak up.
General Kellerman and his trumpets at
this moment returned to the French side;
and soon afterwards, the picquets being with-
drawn, I was relieved from my post, and
marched off to join my company. A truce,
I now found, had been concluded, and we lay
down to rest for the night. Next day was
devoted to the duty of burying the dead and
assisting the wounded, carrying the latter off
the field into a churchyard near Yimiero.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 91
The scene in this churchyard was some-
what singular. Two long tables had been
procured from some houses near, and were
placed end to end amongst the graves, and
upon them were laid the men whose limbs
it was found necessary to amputate. Both
French and English were constantly lifted
on and off these tables. As soon as the
operation was performed upon one lot, they
were carried off, and those in waiting
hoisted up: the surgeons with their sleeves
turned up, and their hands and arms covered
with blood, looking like butchers in the
shambles. I saw as I passed at least twenty
legs lying on the ground, many of them
being clothed in the long black gaiters then
worn by the infantry of the line. The sur-
geons had plenty of work on hand that day,
and not having time to take off the clothes
of the wounded, they merely ripped the
seams and turned the cloth back, proceed-
ing with the operation as fast as they could.
92 RECOLLECTIONS OF
Many of the wounded came straggling
into this churchyard in search of assistance,
by themselves. I saw one man, faint with
loss of blood, staggering along, and turned
to assist him. He was severely wounded
in the head, his face being completely
incrusted mth the blood which had flowed
during the night, and had now dried.
One eyeball was knocked out of the socket,
and hung down upon his cheek.
Another man I observed who had been
brought in, and propped against a grave-
mound. He seemed very badly hurt. The
men who had carried him into the church-
yard, had placed his cap filled with frag-
ments of biscuit close beside his head, and
as he lay he occasionally turned his mouth
towards it, got hold of a piece of biscuit,
and munched it.
As I was about to leave the churchyard,
Dr. Ridgeway, one of the surgeons, called
me back, to assist in holding a man, he was
endeavouring to operate upon.
RIFLEMAN HAERIS. 93
" Come and help me with this man," he
said, " or I shall be all day cutting a ball
out of his shoulder,"
The patient's name was Doubter, an
Irishman. He disliked the doctor's efforts,
and writhed and twisted so much during
the operation that it was with difficulty Dr.
Ridgeway could perform it. He found it
necessary to cut very deep, and Doubter
made a terrible outcry at every fresh in-
cision.
" Oh, doctor dear! " he said, "it's mur-
dering me you are! Blood an' 'ounds! I
shall die!—I shall die! For the love of
the Lord don't cut me all to pieces!
"
Doubter was not altogether wrong; for,
although he survived the operation, he died
shortly afterwards from the effects of his
wounds. After I was dismissed by the
doctor, I gladly left the churchyard, and
returning to the hill where the Rifles were
bivouacked, was soon afterwards ordered by
94 RECOLLECTIONS OF
Captain Leech to get my shoe-making im-
plements from my pack, and commence
work upon the men's waist-belts, many of
which had been much torn during the
action, and I continued to be so em-
ployed as long as there was light enough to
see by, after which I lay down amongst
them to rest.
We lay that night upon the hill-side,
many of the men breaking boughs from the
trees at hand, in order to make a slight
cover for their heads ; the tents not being
then with us.
I remember it was intensely cold during
that night. So much so that I could not
sleep, but la}^ with my feet drawn up, as if
I had a fit of the cramp. I was indeed
compelled more than once during the night
to get up and run about, in order to put
warmth into my benumbed limbs.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 95
CHAPTER. YII.
The march to Spain —A hornet's nest - Beating up for
quarters—A momentous question—The reply— Sala-
manca—Heavy marches.
Three days' march brought us without
the walls of Lisbon, where we halted, and,
the tents soon after coming up, were en-
camped. The second day after our arrival,
as I was lying in my tent, Captain Leech
and Lieutenant Cox entering it, desired me
to rise and follow them. We took the way
towards the town, and wandered about the
streets for some time. Both these officers
were good-looking men, and, in their Rifle
uniform, with the pelisse hanging from one
96 KECOLLECTIONS OF
shoulder, and liessian-boots then worn, cut
a dash, I thought, in the streets of Lisbon.
There were no other English that I could
observe in the town this day; and, wliat
with the glances of the black-eyed lasses
from the windows, and the sulky scowl of
the French sentinels as we passed, I thought
we caused quite a sensation in the place.
Indeed I believe we were the first men that
entered Lisbon after the arrival of the army
without its walls.
After some little time had been spent in
looking about us, the officers spied an hotel,
and entering it, walked up-stairs. I myself
entered a sort of taproom below, and found
myself in the midst of a large assemblage
of French soldiers, many of whom were
wounded, some with their arms hanging in
scarfs, and others bandaged about the head
and face. In short, one half of them ap-
peared to carry tokens of our bullets of a
few days before.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 97
At first they appeared inclined to be
civil to me, although my appearance amongst
them caused rather a sensation, I observed,
and three or four rose from their seats, and
with all the swagger of Frenchmen strutted
up, and offered to drink with me. I was
young then, and full of the natural ani-
mosity against the enemy so prevalent with
John Bull. I hated the French with a
deadly hatred, and refused to drink with
them, shewing by my discourteous manner
the feelings I entertained ; so they turned
off, with a " Sacre I " and a " Bah ! " and,
reseating themselves, commenced talking at
an amazing rate all at once, and no man
listening to his fellow.
Although I could not comprehend a word
of the language they uttered, I could pretty
well make out that I myself was the subject
of the noise around me. My discourteous
manners had offended them, and they
seemed to be working themselves up into a
F
98 RECOLLECTIONS OF
violent rage. One fellow, in particular,
wearing an immense pair of mustachios,
and his coat loosely thrown over his
shoulders, his arm being wounded, and in a
sling, rose up, and attempted to harangue
the company. He pointed to the pouch at
my waist, which contained my bullets, then
to my rifle, and then to his own wounded
arm, and I began to suspect that I should
probably get more than I had bargained for
on entering the house, unless I speedily
managed to remove myself out of it, when,
luckily, Lieutenant Cox and Captain Leech
entered the room in search of me. They
saw at a glance the state of affairs, and
instantly ordered me to quit the room,
themselves covering my retreat.
" Better take care, Harris," said the
captain, "how you get amongst such a
party as that again. You do not understand
their language ; I do: they meant mischief."
After progressing through various streets.
RIFLEMAN HAERIS. 99
buying leather and implements for mending
our shoes, the two officers desired me again
to await them in the street, and entered a
shop close at hand. The day was hot, and
a wine-house being directly opposite me,
after waiting some time, I crossed over,
and, going in, called for a cup of wine.
Here I again found myself in the midst of
a large assemblage of French soldiers, and
once more an object of curiosity and dis-
like. Nevertheless, I paid for my wine, and
drank it, regardless of the clamour my in-
trusion had again called forth. The host,
however, seemed to understand his guests
better than I did, and evidently anticipated
mischief. After in vain trying to make me
understand him, he suddenly jumped from
behind his bar, and seizing me by the
shoulder without ceremony, thrust me into
the street. I found the two officers looking
anxiously for me when I got out, and not
quite easy at my disappearance. I however
F 2
100 RFXOLLECTIONS OF
excused m^^self by pleading the heat of the
day, and my anxiety to taste the good wines
of Lisbon, and together we left the town,
with our purchases, and reached the camp.
Next morning Captain Leech again en-
tered my tent, and desired me to pick out
three good workmen from the company,
take them into the town, and seek out a
shoemaker's shop as near the camp as pos-
sible.
" You must get leave to work in the first
shop you can find," he said, "as we have
a long march before us, and many of the
men -without shoes to their feet."
Accordingly, we carried with us three
small sacks filled with old boots and shoes,
and entering Lisbon, went into the first
shoemaker's shop we saw. Here I endea-
voured in vain to make myself understood
for some time. There was a master shoe-
maker at work and three men. They did
not seem to hke our intrusion, and looked
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 101
very sulky, asking us various questions,
which I could not understand; the only
words I could at all comprehend being
" Bonos Irelandos, Brutu Englisa." I
thought, considering we had come so far
to fight their battles for them, that this was
the north side of civil ; so I signed to the
men, and, by way of explanation of our
wishes, and in order to cut the matter short,
they emptied the three sacksful of boots and
shoes upon the floor. We now explained
what we would be at ; the boots and shoes
of the Rifles spoke for themselves, and, seat-
ing ourselves, we commenced work forth-
with.
In this way we continued employed whilst
the army lay near Lisbon, every morning
coming in to work, and returning to the
camp every night to sleep.
After we had been there several days, our
landlord's family had the curiosity to come
occasionally and take a peep at us. My
102 RECOLLECTIONS OF
companions were noisy, good-tempered, jolly
fellows, and usually sang all the time they
hammered and strapped. The mistress of
the house, seeing I was the head man, occa-
sionally came and sat down beside me as I
Avorked, bringing her daughter, a very
handsome dark- eyed Spanish girl, and as a
matter of course I fell in love.
We soon became better acquainted, and
the mother, one evening, after having sat
and chattered to me, serving me with wine,
and other good things, on my rising to leave
the shop, made a signal for me to follow
her. She had managed to pick up a little
English, and I knew a few words of the
Spanish language, so that we could pretty
well comprehend each other's meaning; and
after leading me into their sitting-room, she
brought her handsome daughter, and, with-
out more circumstance, offered her to me
for a wife. The oifer was a tempting one;
but the conditions of the marriage made it
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 103
impossible for me to comply, since I was to
change my religion, and desert my colours.
The old dame proposed to conceal me
effectually when the army marched; after
which I was to live like a gentleman, with
the handsome Maria for a wife.
It was hard to refuse so tempting an offer,
with the pretty Maria endeavouring to back
her mother's proposal. I, however, made
them understand that nothing would tempt
me to desert ; and, promising to try and get
my discharge when I returned to England,
protested I would then return and marry
Maria.
Soon after this the army marched for
Spain ; the Rifles paraded in the very street
where the shop I had so long worked at
was situated, and I saw Maria at the win-
dow. As our bugles struck up, she waved
her handkerchief; I returned the salute,
and in half an hour had forgotten all
about her. So much for a soldier's love.
10-4 RECOLLECTIONS OF
Our marches were now lono; and fatiofuin"'.
I do not know how many miles we traversed
ere we reached Almeida, which I was told
was the last town in Portugal : some of mycompanions said we had come five hundred
miles since we left Lisbon.
We now passed to the left, and bade
adieu to Portugal for ever. We had fought
and conquered, and felt elated accordingly.
Spain was before us, and every man in the
Rifles seemed only anxious to get a rap at
the French again. On and on we toiled, till
we reached Salamanca. I love to remember
the appearance of that army, as we moved
along at this time. It was a glorious sight
to see our colours spread in these fields.
The men seemed invincible ; nothing, I
thought, could have beaten them. We had
some of as desperate fellows in the Rifles
alone as had ever toiled under the burning
sun of an enemy's country in any age ; but
I lived to see hardship and toil lay hundreds
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 105
of them low, before a few weeks were over
our heads. At Salamanca we stayed seven
or eight days, and during this time the
shoemakers were again wanted, and I
worked with my men incessantly during
their short halt.
Our marches were now still more arduous
;
fourteen leagues a-day, I have heard the
men say, we accomplished before we halted
;
and many of us were found out, and floored
in the road. It became every one for him-
self. The load we carried was too great,
and we staggered on, looking neither to the
right nor the left. If a man dropped, he
found it no easy matter to get up again,
unless his companion assisted him, and
many died of fatigue. As for myself, I was
nearly floored by this march ; and on reach-
ing a town one night, which I think was
called Zamora, I fell at the entrance of the
first street we came to; the sight left myeyes, my brain reeled, and I came down like
F 3
106 RECOLLECTIONS OF
a dead man. Wh^n I recovered my senses,
I remember that I crawled into a door 1
found open, and, being too ill to rise, lay for
some time in the passage unregarded by the
inhabitants.
After I had left the house I have al-
luded to in the account of the battle of
Roliga, I walked a few paces onwards, Avhen
I saw some of the Rifles lying about and
resting. I laid myself down amongst them,
for I felt fatigued. A great many of the
French skirmishers were lying dead just
about this spot. I recollect that they had
long white frock-coats on, with the eagle in
front of their caps. This was one of the
places from which they had greatly annoyed
us ; and, to judge from the appearance of the
dead and wounded strewed around, we had
i-eturned the compliment pretty handsomely.
I lay upon my back, and, resting upon my
knapsack, examined the enemy in the dis-
tance. Their lines were about a couple of
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 107
miles off: here they remained stationary, I
should think, until near sunset, when they
began to vanish, beating towards Yimiero,
where we had at them again. Whilst I lay
watching them, I observed a dead mai?
directly opposite to me whose singular ap-
pearance had not at first caught my eye.
He was lying on his side amongst some
burnt-up bushes; and whether the heat of
the firing here had set these bushes on fire,
or from whatever cause they had been
ignited, I cannot take upon me to say; but
certain it is (for several of my companions
saw it as well as myself, and cracked many
a joke upon the poor fellow's appearance,)
that this man, whom we guessed to have
been French, was as completely roasted as
if he had been spitted before a good kitchen-
fire. He was burnt quite brown, every
stitch of clothes was singed off, and he was
drawn all up like a dried frog. I called the
attention of one or two men near me, and
108 EECOLLECTIONS OT
we examined him, turning him about with
our rifles with no little curiosity. I re-
member now, with some surprise, that the
miserable fate of this poor fellow called forth
from us very little sympathy, but seemed
only to be a subject of mirth.
KIFLEMAN HAKRIS. 109
CHAPTER YIII.
A gallant fop — An ill-humoured recruit — The military
agriculturist and the gentleman farmer — Death or
glory — The Duke at Vimiero — Picking off the enemy—- The brothers Hart.
I EEMEMBER there was an officer, named,
I think, Cardo, with the Rifles. He was a
great beau ; but although rather effeminate
and ladylike in manners, so much so as to
be remarked by the whole regiment at that
time, yet he was found to be a most gallant
officer when we were engaged with the enemy
in the field.
He was killed whilst fighting bravely in
the Pyrenees; and amoiigst other jewellery
110 RECOLLECTIONS OF•
he wore, he had a ring on his finger worth
one hundred and fifty guineas.
As he lay dead on the field, one of our
Riflemen, named Orr, observed the sparkling
gem, and immediately resolved to make prize
of it. The ring, however, was so firmly
fixed that Orr could not draw it from the
finger, and whipping out his knife cut the
finger off by the joint. After the battle,
Orr offered the ring for sale amongst the
officers, and, on inquiry, the manner in
which he had obtained it transpired. Orr
was in consequence tried by court-martial,
and sentenced to receive five hundred lashes,
which sentence was carried into execution.
A youth joined the Rifles soon after I my-
self put on the green jacket, whose name
was Medley. He was but a small chap,
being under the standard one inch ;* but our
ofiicers thought he promised fair to become
* The standard at that time, when men were quickly used
up, was five feet two with us.
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. Ill
a tall fellow, and he was, accordingly, not
rejected. Medley did not deceive them; for,
on the day he first joined the Kifles, he was
five feet one inch in height, and on the day
he was killed, at Barrossa, he was exactly
six feet one. He was celebrated for being
the greatest grumbler, the greatest eater, and
the most quarrelsome fellow in the whole
corps. I remember he cut a most desperate
figure in the retreat to Corunna ; for there
he had enough to bear both of fatigue and
hunger ; and a very little of either of these
disagreeables would make him extremely bad
company at any time. It was dangerous,
too, to bid him hold his tongue sometimes
;
for he had picked up so amongst us since he
was only five feet one, and grown so bony as
well as tall, that he would challenge and
thrash any man in the corps. Corunna,
however, though it could not stop his growl-
ing, took the desire of boxing quite out of
him ; and he sprawled, scrambled, and swore,
112 RECOLLECTIONS OF
till he somehow got through that business.
If General Craufurd could have heard but
the t^ventieth part of what I heard him
utter about him on that retreat, I think he
would have cut Medley in half. He was, as
I said, a capital feeder; and his own allow-
ance was not half enough to satisfy his crav-
ings, so that he often got some of his com-
rades to help him out with a portion of
theirs. He was my comrade for about two
years; and, as I was a shoemaker, I often
had food to give him ; indeed it was highly
necessary either to give him what I had for
my own allowance, or find some provision
elsewhere, for he was the most cross-grained
fellow, if his belly was not filled, that we
ever had amongst us. He was killed at
Barrossa, as I said, and he carried his ill-
humour with him to the very last hour of
his life ; for, being knocked over by a musket-
ball in the thigh, he was spoken to as he lay
by some of his comrades, who, asking if they
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 113
should assist him, and carry hiin to the rear,
he told them to " Go and he d—dl " and,
bidding them mind their own business,
abused them till they passed on and left him.
I was told this last anecdote of him by the
very men who had spoken to him, and got
this blessing as he lay.
We had another tall fellow in the four
companies of Eifles who were in that retreat.
His name was Thomas Higgins; he was six
feet one and a half, and quite as lank and
bony as Medley. He also was an ill-
tempered fellow, but nothing to compare
with him either in eating or grumbling.
The tall men, I have often observed, bore
fatigue much worse than the short ones;
and Higgins, amongst others of the big 'uns,
was dreadfully put to it to keep on. Welost him entirely when about half through
this business, I remember; for, during a
short halt of about ten minutes he was rep-
rimanded by one of our officers for the
114 RECOLLECTIONS OF
slovenly state of his clothing and accoutre-
ments; his dress almost dropping from his
lower limbs, and his knapsack hanging by a
strap or two down about his waist. Higgins
did not take it at all kind being quarrelled
with at such a time, and, uttering sundry
impertinences, desired to know if they were
ever to be allowed to halt any more, adding
that he did not see very well how he was to
be very smart after what he had alread}^
gone through. The officer spoke to one of
the sergeants upon this, and bid him re-
member, if they got to their journey's end,
to give Higgins an extra guard for his
behaviour. "Oh! then, d—n me," says
Higgins, " if ever I take it !" and, turning
about, as we all moved on at the word to
march, he marched off in the contrary
direction, and we never either saw or heard
of him from that hour ; and it was supposed
afterwards, amongst us, that he had either
perished alone in the night, or joined the
KIFLEMAN HARRIS. 115
French, who were at our heels. These were
the two tallest men in the four companies of
Kifles; and both were in the company I
belonged to. Higgins was the right hand,
and Medley the left hand man.
THE YORKSHIRE FARMER.
It was about the year 1807 or 8, that a
man volunteered from the Nottingham
Militia into the Rifles. After receiving the
half of his bounty, he thought that was
quite as much as would serve him of the
Rifle regiment, and so he declined to serve
them in return, and accordingly made off,
without joining them at all at that time.
Four years afterwards he was discovered by
the very sergeant of the Nottingham Militia
who belonged to his own company when he
volunteered from them into our corps.
This same sergeant was then himself re-
cruiting, and fell in with his former comrade
il6 RECOLLECTIONS OF
in some town, of wliich I forget the name
;
but it was in Yorkshire. The man (whose
name, also, I have forgotten now,) was then
grown very fat, and was, likewise, as much
altered in dress as in condition, being clad
in the habiliments of a respectable and com-
fortable farmer of that delightful county.
The sergeant, however, had a sharp eye,
and penetrated both through the disguise of
his then calling, and also even his portly
look failed in throwing him off the scent.
In fact, he went warily to work, made his
inquiries, compared his notes, allowed for
the time and circumstances, and, notwith-
standing the respectability and reputed
worth of our farmer, arrested him forthwith
as a deserter from the Ninety-fifth. From
Yorkshire he was marched a prisoner to
Hythe, in Kent; and I remember seeing
him brought in, dressed as he was appre-
hended, and handcuffed, and guarded by a
corporal and three or four men. He was.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 117
as I said, clad in his farmer's dress, and
tliat it was which made myself and others
(who happened to be out) more especially
regard him ; for, although it was no great
sight at that time to see a deserter brought
along, yet it was not often we beheld one
so apparently well off and respectable look-
ing in such a situation. In fact, the York-
shire farmer made a great talk amongst us;
and we pitied him much. No man in his
present circumstances could, I should think,
feel more acutely, and he dwindled per-
ceptibly in bulk every day, till he was
brought to trial. During his confinement
he had written to the colonel of the regim.ent,
oifering him sixty pounds to let him off;
but I believe he never at that time got
any reply to his offer, and, being tried,
was sentenced to receive seven hundred
lashes. When he was brought into the
hollow square to receive his punishment, I
remember the anxiety amongst us was twice
118 RECOLLECTIONS OF
as great as on an ordinary occasion of the
sort. He did not seem a man who was
afraid of the lash, as regarded the pain of
its infliction, but the shame of it (consider-
ing the situation he had attained to) was
apparently the thing that hurt him most.
Even now, although fiillen away, he was a
jolly and portly-looking man, though his
flesh seemed to hang about him from the
quickness he had been reduced in bulk by
long marches, and anxiety of mind. He
addressed a few words to the colonel in a
firm and manly tone, and begged him to
consider his situation and circumstances,
and that he was the husband of a respect-
able woman, and father of several children
;
but, however, it was not possible for the
colonel to forgive him at that time, and he
was ordered to be quick and prepare. The
farmer, accordingly, stripped, and was tied
up. The colonel addressed him, and re-
ferred to the ofier he had made him when in
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 110
confinement, which, he told him, had muchaggravated his crime, as supposing him (the
colonel) capable of selling his honour for
sixty pounds. So the farmer received his
seven hundred lashes that day, and never
uttered a word of complaint during the in-
fliction, except that, as he sometimes turned
his head, and looked after the can of water,
he would say, " Oh! poor Tom! poor Tom!I little thought ever to come to this !
" I re-
member, after four hundred, the colonel
asked him if he would sign his banishment,
telling him it was to send him to another
regiment, which was in foreign parts; but
the farmer refused to do so, and the punish-
ment went on. I recollect, too, that the
doctor desired the drummer to lay the lash
on the other shoulder, and the farmer re-
ceived the whole sentence, as he well de-
served. In a week or more he was to be
seen walking in the barrack-square; but he
avoided the society of the men, and in about
120 RECOLLECTIONS OF
two or three clays afterwards, lie was miss-
ing altogether, having taken an opportunity
to escape; and we never again either heard
of, or saw, the Yorkshire farmer.
There was another agriculturist who, I
remember, was in the Ivifles with me. He
was the eldest son of a gentleman-farmer,
vvho resided in Yorkshire, and as handsome
a youth as I think I ever beheld ; but he
was one of the wildest chaps, perhaps, in
the whole county, and, although he was not
above four or five-and-twenty, his parents
had found it out to their cost. In one of
his sprees, happening to fall in with Ser-
geant Sugden of our corps, nothing would
content him but he must enlist. Sugden,
you may easily conceive, was not averse to
indulge such a ^''perspiring " hero, and very
soon had him for a recruit. Although
there must have been considerable difference
in the style of life amongst us to what he
had been used to, yet he appeared nowise
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 121
displeased with the change. To be sure,
he was rather too lively a bird at times,
and, having .plenty of money, occasionally
got himself into trouble, but nothing par-
ticularly disagreeable happened, and alto-
gether he was very much liked in the corps,
in which he went by the name of " The
Gentleman Farmer." Just before a detach-
ment of the Rifles started for Portugal, a
gentleman rode into the barrack-square, and
inquired of some of the men for this young
spark, whose name I cannot now remember.
The meeting was not a very amicable one,
for the new-comer was the gentleman-far-
mer's brother, who upbraided him with his
conduct in enlisting, and told of the anxiety
and sorrow this new freak had caused at
home. After they had somewhat mollified
their quarrel, they sought an interview with
our commanding- officer ; and the brother
immediately, in the name of the parents,
offered any reasonable sura the colonel chose
G
122 EECOLLECTIONS OF
to name, so he would but grant the gentle-
man-farmer a discharge. The colonel, how-
ever, was not willing to lose him, and refused
at that time to grant the request.
" He is a wild and untamed spirit," he
said ;" and as he is just now under orders for
foreign service, he had better go; let him
have a year of that fun ; it will do his com-
plaint good; and, if he lives, we shall see
liim, I hope, return an improved man."
The new-comer, therefore, was fain to put
up with tliis answer, and next morning re-
turned home to his parents, apparently much
cut up and disappointed at his ill success.
Accordingly the gentleman-farmer embarked
for Portugal, and was soon after witness of
a wilder scene of discord and horror than,
T dare say, even his hair-brained ideas quite
contemplated when he enlisted for a soldier
;
in short, he took his first lesson of actual
warfare at the siege of Badajoz, and, enter-
ing with heart and soul into the breach,
RIFLEM.NJN HARRIS 123
his head was dashed into a hundred pieces
by a cannon ball.
Thomas Mayberiy was a man well known
at that time in the Rifles. He was a ser-
geant in my day, and was much thought of
by our officers as a very active and useful
non-commissioned officer, being considered,
up to the time of his committing the slight
mistake I shall have to tell of, one of the
most honest men in the army. With the
men he was not altogether so well liked, as
he was considered rather too blusterous
and tyrannical. Whilst in the town of
Hythe, he got the fingering of about two
hundred pounds, for the purpose of paying
for necessaries purchased for the men of his
company, and which two hundred pounds
he had, in a very short space of time,
managed to make away with, and lose in
the society of a party of gamblers, who at
that time infested the towai of Hythe, Cap-
tain Hart, who then commanded the com-
G 2
12-i KECOLLECTIONS OF
pany Mayberr}- belonged to, was not a little
thunderstruck, some little time after, at find-
ing that the several tradesmen who furnished
the articles for the men had never been
settled with, and, sending for Mayberry,
discovered the delinquency. ]\Iayberry was
a prisoner in a moment; and Captain Hart
was as much astonished as if his own father
had committed a fraud, so well and so much
was Mayberry thought of. He was brought
to court-martial, together with two other
men, whom he had seduced to become part-
ners in his gambling transactions ; and, on
the inquiry, it was further discovered that
he had been in the habit of cheating the
men of his company out of a farthing a-
week each for the last ten months. That
Avas, perhaps, the worst thing against him.
He was sentenced to receive seven hun-
dred lashes. Corporal Morrisson and Pa-
trick Pivine, his two participators in this
roguery, got, I remember, the former three,
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 125
and the latter one hundred, awarded to
them.
When the square was formed for punish-
ment, and the three were brought out, it was
necessary to check the men of the regiment,
or they would have hooted and hissed them
on the parade. I recollect, also, that there
was a civilian, of the name of Gilbert, whom
Mayberry had defrauded, and he had in-
quired the time of his punishment, and was
present in the rear during the infliction, hav-
ing expressed to some of ]\layberry's compa-
nions that he was content to lose the money,
so that he saw the fellow well flogged :—
a
pretty good proof that, when their own
interests are nearly concerned, your civilian
has no objection to even be an e3^e-witness
of the infliction of the lash, about which
there has lately been such an outcry. It is,
indeed, no uncommon thing, now-a-days, to
see a man who has committed crimes, which
have caused him to receive the execrations
126 RECOLLECTIONS OF
of his sometime companions in arms, as he
is being drummed out of the corps, received
by a host of folks without the barrack-gates,
and taken to their bosoms as an' object of
commiseration.
When Mayberry was tied up, he was
offered, as was then customary, the option
of banishment; but he refused it, notwith-
standing considerable entreaty was made to
him by his two comrades to accept it, as, by
so doing, they thought they all would escape
the lash. However, Mayberry decided to
take the seven hundred, and bore the sen-
tence without a murmur. Not so the two
others : Morrisson screamed and struggled so
much, that he capsized the triangle, and all
came sprawling together, so that he was
obliged to be held by a man at each side.
Divine came last. He was rather an effem-
inate-looking man; and the colonel rode
round, and told him he lamented being
oblio-ed to break so fair a skin ; but he must
KTFLEMAN HARRIS. 127
do his duty. However, as he had borne a
good character, and was not so much to
blame as the other two, he let him down
after five-and-twenty.
Mayberry after this was much scouted by
his fellow- soldiers, and also ill-thought of
by the officers ; and, on a detachment being
sent to Portugal, he volunteered for the ex-
pedition. Captain Hart, however, would
fain have declined taking him, as he had so
bad an opinion of him after this aiFair; but
Mayberry shewed himself so desirous of
going, that at last he consented, and took
him. At the siege of Badajoz, Mayberry
wiped off, in a measure, all his former ill
conduct. He was seen by Captain Hart to
behave so bravely in the breach, that he
commended him on the spot.
" Well done, Mayberry !" said he ;
" you
have this day done enough to obliterate your
disgrace; and, if we live, I will endeavour
to restore you to your former rank. Go
128 RECOLLECTIONS OF
now to the rear;you have done enough
for one day." ]\Iayberry, however, re-
fused to i-etire, although covered with
wounds; for lie was known to have killed
seven with his own hand, with his rifle-
sword-bayonet.
" No going to the rear for nie," he said.
" I'll restore myself to my comrades' opinion,
or make a finish of myself altogether."
He accordingly continued in the front
of all, till at last he was seen to be cut
down, in the clear light of the fire-balls, by
a tremendous sword-cut, w^hich cleft his
skull almost in twain. Morrisson, I heard,
also died at that siege. Divine returned
safe home, and died of fatigue at Fermoy.
It has been said, I have heard, by officers
of high rank in the army of the Peninsula,
that there never were such a set of devil-
may-care fellows, and so completely up to
their business, as the 95th. It would be
invidious to make a distinction, or talk of
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 129
any one regiment being better, or more ser-
viceable, than another; but the Rifles were
generally in the mess before the others be-
gan, and also the last to leave off. It was
their business to be so; and if they did their
work well, so did every other British corps
engaged in that country, at least I never
either heard or saw to the contrary. There
was, perhaps, as intelligent and talented
a set of men amongst us, as ever carried
a weapon in any country. They seemed at
times, to need but a glance at what was
going on to know all about its " why and
wherefore." I remember seeing the Dukeof Wellington during the battle of Vimiero
;
and in these days, when so much anxiety is
displayed to catch even a glance of that
great man's figure as he gallops along the
streets of. London, it seems gratifying to
me to recollect seeing him in his proper
element, " the raging and bloody field," and
I have frequently taxed my mind to remem-
G 3
130 KECOLLECTIONS OF
ber each action and look I caught of him
at that time.
I remember seeing the great Duke take
his hat off in the field of Vimiero, and me-
thinks it is something to have seen that
wonderful man even do so common-place a
thing as lift his hat to another officer in the
battle-field. We were generally enveloped
in smoke and fire, and sometimes unable to
distinguish or make remarks upon what was
going on around, whilst we blazed away at
our opponents; but occasionally we found
time to make our comments upon the game
we were playing. Two or three fellows near
me were observing what was going on just
in the rear, and I heard one man remark,
" Here comes Sir Arthur and his staff;
"
upon which I also looked back, and caught
sight of him just meeting with two other
officers of high rank. They all uncovered
as they met, and I saw the Duke, as I said,
(then Sir Arthur Wellesley) take off his
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 131
hat and boAv to the other two. The names
of the new-comers, however they were
learnt, whether from some of the men who
had before seen them, or picked up on the
instant from an officer, seemed to be well
known, as well as the business they were
engaged in talking of; for it ran along the
line from one to the other that Sir
Hugh Dalrymple and Sir Harry Burrard
were about to take the command, instead
of Sir Arthur Wellesley, a circumstance
which, of course, could only be a random
guess amongst these fellows at the mo-
ment.
The intelligence of these men was indeed
very great, and I could relate instances of
their recldessness and management which
would amuse the reader much. I remember
a fellow, named Jackman, getting close up
to the walls at Flushing, and working a hole
in the earth with his sword, into which he
laid himself, and remained there alone,
132 RECOLLECTIONS OF
spite of all the efforts of the enemj'- and
their various missiles to dislodge him. He
was known, thus earthed, to have killed,
with the utmost coolness and deliberation,
eleven of the French artillerymen, as they
worked at their guns. As fast as they
relieved each fallen comrade did Jack-
man pick them off; after which he took to
his heels, and got safe back to his com-
rades.
There were three brothers in the Rifles,
named Hart,—John, Mike, and Peter,—and
three more perfectly reckless fellows, per-
haps, never existed. Nothing ever escaped
their notice; and they would create the
greatest fun and laughter, even when ad-
vancing under the hottest fire of the enemy,
and their comrades being shot down beside
them. I remember Lieutenant Molloy,
Avho was himself as fine a '
' soldier as ever
stepped, and as full of life in the midst of
death" as these Harts, being obliged to
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 133
check them at Yiniiero. "D—n you!" he
said to them, " keep back, and get under
cover. Do you think you are fighting here
with your fists, that you are running into
the teeth of the French ?"
I never saw those three men, to appear-
ance, the least worse for hard work durino;
the time we remained in Portugal. They
could run like deer, and were indeed formed
by Nature and disposition for the hardships,
difficulties, and privations of the sort of life
we then led. They were, however, all three
pretty well done up during the retreat to
Corunna; though, even in that dreadful
business, their light-heartedness and at-
tempts at fun served to keep up the spirits
of many a man, who would else have been
broken-hearted before the English shipping
appeared in sight. They even carried their
pleasantry on that occasion so far as to make
a jest of their own appearance, and the
miserable plight of the whole turn-out, as
134 RECOLLECTIONS OF
we disembarked upon the beach at Ports-
mouth. One of them even went so far as
to observe, " tliat we looked more like the
rakings of h— than the fragments of an
army !
"
Nothing, indeed, but that grave of bat-
talions, that unwholesome fen, Flushing,
could have broken the spirits of three such
soldiers as John, Mike, and Peter Hart.
A few weeks, however, of that country suf-
ficed to quiet them for evermore. One, I
remember, died ; and the other two, although
they lived to return, were never worth a
rush afterwards, but, like myself, remained
living examples of what climate can bring
even a constitution and body framed as if
of iron to.
Nothing, I suppose, could exceed the
dreadful appearance we cut on the occasion
of the disembarkation from Corunna; and
the inhabitants of Portsmouth, who had
assembled in some numbers to see us land,
RIFLEMAN HARKIS. 135
were horror-stricken with the sight of their
countrymen and relatives returning to Eng-
land in such a ghastly state ; whilst the three
Harts, with feet swathed in bloody rags,
clothing that hardly covered their nakedness,
accoutrements in shreds, beards covering
their faces, eyes dimmed with toil, (for
some were even blind,) arms nearly useless
to those who had them left, the rifles being
encrusted with rust, and the swords glued
to the scabbard;—these three brothers, I
say (for I heard them myself,) as they hob-
bled up the beach, were making all sorts of
remarks, and cracking their jokes upon the
misery of our situation, and the appear-
ance they themselves cut.
I recollect seeing at this time an affecting
instance of female affection displayed. One
of our officers, whose name I will not men-
tion, and who was much beloved by us all^
observed his wife waiting for him on the
beach, as he disembarked from the boat.
136 RECOLLECTIONS OF
He met her as she rushed into the sea to
embi-ace him, and they were locked in
each others' arms before they touched the
dry land.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 137
CHAPTER IX.
The North Mayo militiaman—Chances of warfare —Mar-shal Beresford —Eight hundred for nothing —Money-makina;.
Whilst we lay near Cork we were joined
by one Richard Pullen, amongst others; he
had exchanged from the English militia in-
,to the Irish, and volunteered to us Rifles
from the North Mayo. He brought with
him little else to boast of but his wife
and his two children, Charles and Susan.
Charles was a mischievous boy of about
twelve, and Susan was a pretty little lass,
of about fourteen years of age. I remem-
138 RECOLLECTIONS OF
ber tliey all went with us to Copenhagen,
and got through that expedition pretty well.
That alFair suited a man of Pullen's de-
scription, for he didn't like too much service
;
and we soon found he was rather a shy
cock. " None of your North May/w, here,
Master Pullen!" used to be constantly flung
in his teeth, when he was lagging behind
on the march. In 1808 he was again
wanted, when our four companies went to
Portugal ; but Pullen begged off, on account
of the wife and the two children, Charles
and Susan. Often had he to endure the
taunt again, ''''None of your North Mayho
here, Master Pullen T^ till we were fairly
away from Hythe.
After we had knocked the frogs out of
Portugal, marching on Sahagun, we fell in
with the army under Sir John Moore, and,
amongst the Rifles that came with them
fresh from England, we found Pullen and
his wife, with their two children, Charles
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 139
and Susan. I remember that the meetmg
with Fallen caused no small fun amongst
us; and North May/io was again the bye-
word for a few days. Nothing, I thought
at that time, could tame down the high
spirits and thoughtlessness of the British
soldier. Alas! I lived to see that I was
mistaken; and, indeed, saw them pretty
well tamed before many days more were
over our heads! I remember remarking
that Pullen (even on the first day of the
retreat to Corunna) looked very chapfallen
and seedy ; and he was beginning even then
to complain that he could not stand much
more. The wife and children, too, were
dropping behind. They all thought, poor
souls ! that when night came on they were,
of course, to be billeted ; but the open world
was now their only refuge; and no allow-
ance to stop or lie down, even on the bare
heath, at that time. I saw Pullen again on
the third or fourth day ; neither the wife nor
140 RECOLLECTIONS OF
children were then with him, nor could he
tell ichere they were ; he could only answer
for himself, and expected to drop dead, he
said, every step. That 's all I saw of Pullen,
and his wife and children, on the retreat, or
even thought of them; for I had enough to
do to keep my own strength up. When we
landed at Portsmouth, both myselfand others
(to our no small surprise), saw Pullen once
more; and much we wondered at the sight
of him, when so many better and stronger
soldiers had died before half of that retreat
was accomplished. We had not even then
spirits enough left to jeer him about North
May/w; and, to add to the dejection of poor
Pullen, we found that he had left behind
him, and knew nothing of the fate of either
his wife or his children, Charles and Susan.
As the men continued to disembark, how-
ever, there was Pullen inquiring anxiously
of every one for some tidings of them.
Kone, however, could he get. At last he
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 141
saw his wife coming up the beach, and
hobbled off to meet her, each at the same
moment inquiring for the children, Charles
and Susan. He trusted they were with the
wife; and she hoped they were with the
husband; and both sat down upon the
beach, and cried in concert. All our
men thought it useless of them to continue
their inquiries; but they never failed to ask
after their offspring of ever}^ fresh face they
fell in with, who had been in that retreat.
In about a fortnight's time, not satisfied,
they advertised Charles and Susan in the
public newspapers ; and we all laughed at
the very idea of their ever finding them
again, and told them they might have spared
the money. To our no small surprise,
however, the artillery at Plymouth answered
their advertisement, stating that a little girl
had been heard screaming upon the moun-
tains in Spain by them in the night, and
that they had taken care of her as well as
142 RECOLLECTIONS OF
they could, and bad her then with them.
The description answering, the girl was for-
warded to Ilythe ; and Pullen and his wife
once more embraced their daughter Susan.
Meanwhile, no tidings came of the boy;
and Pullen died at Walcheren, with many
a gallant soldier for his fellow-victim in that
dreadful country. The wife had confessed
long before that the child she had given birth
to after the retreat, she had every reason to
believe, was a Frenchman by the father's
side; for she related her adventures to
many of us at that time, and told, amongst
other things, that she and other Avomen,
having taken refuge in a barn, were there
overtaken by the French in the night, and
treated by those gentlemen in a very un-
ceremonious manner.
It is easy to suppose that ]\Irs. Pullen had
no great wish to go on service again, and
much did she endeavour to persuade Pullen
to evade it too; but, the whole regiment
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 143
being under orders for Walcheren, Pullen
could not escape the chance. At last, how-
ever, he tried to excuse himself by tamper-
ing with his eyes, which he made sore by
putting snuff in them. He was, however,
detected, disgraced, and, sailing with the
expedition, died, as I before said, at Walche-
ren.
After his death, Mrs. Pullen and her
daughter were sent to their parish, which
was in Warwickshire; and, after she had
left us some time, a letter arrived from her
son, Charles, who was a prisoner in France.
There was, I think, not a man in the regi-
ment who recollected the North MayAo re-
cruit but myself. War, and pestilence, and
discharge, had taken all away. The bugle-
major opened the letter; and, on inquiry,
found that I alone knew the parents of the
writer ; but no answer, that I ever heard of,
was sent to poor Charles. The captain of
Pullen's company (Crampton) was dead,
144 RECOLLECTIONS OF
tiiid the coni])any was almost entirely new.
I myself was then almost in a dying state,
and the matter was soon altogether forgot-
ten. So that, whether Mrs. Pullen ever
again saw her son, I cannot take upon me
to say.
It was during the heat of the day of
A'imiero. We were rather hotly pressed by
the enemy, after having advanced somewhat
too near their force. Give and take is all
fair enough ; but we were getting more
kicks than halfpence, as the saying is; and
their balls stung us so sharply that the
olficers gave the word to '"''
fire and retire''^*
Doubtless, many got a leaden messenger
as they did so, which saved them the
unpleasant necessity of retracing their
ground altogether. Jock Gillespie and myself
wheeled about, and obeyed the order. Just
as we had done so, I saw Gillespie limp along
* One of tlie light-infantry movements, when pressed by
the advance of the enemy.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 145
as though some one had bestowed a violent
kick upon his person. However, he didn't
give up at first, but continued to load, and
fire, and make off with the other skirmishers,
till we halted, and made another stand ; for
we never went further from them when
once engaged, than we could possibly help.
Gillespie loaded, and fired very sharply,
I recollect; seemingly quite affronted at
the treatment he had received ; but he got
weaker and more lame as he did so, and at
last was quite unable to continue the game
any longer; and, when we advanced again,
he was floored from loss of blood. I had
asked him once or twice where he was hit,
but he seemed unwilling to say, till at last
he confessed; and the confession gave him
apparently as much pain as the wound.
After the battle was over, I observed him
endeavouring to get about, and limping as
badly as if one leg was a foot shorter than
the other, whilst our men, who had got hold
u
146 RECOLLECTIONS OF
of the story, kept calling after, and making
all sorts of fun about his wound; till poor
Gillespie (who was a very sensitive man)
sat down and cried like a child with vexa-
tion. I never saw him after that niglit; and
I rather think his wound had completely
disabled him, and that eventually he got a
discharge.
I remember a great many of the leaders
and heroes of the wars of my own time.
Alas! they have been cleared off of late
])retty handsomely ! A few years more, and
the world will be without another living
remembrancer of either them or their deeds.
The ranks are getting thin, too, amongst
those who, like myself, were the tools with
which the great men of former days won their
renown. I don't know a single living man
now who was a comrade during the time I
served. Very nearly fifteen years back, I
remember, however, meeting with Robert
Liston; and that meeting brings Marshal
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 147
Beresford to my mind. Robert Liston was
a corporal in the second battalion of the
Rifles, when we lay for a few days in the
passages of a convent in Portugal. Wewere then making for the frontiers of Spain,
when we were swept into that disastrous
retreat to Corunna. There was a punish-
ment parade in the square of this convent.
A soldier of the Ninety-second or Seventy-
ninth was the culprit, and the kilts were
formed to witness the performance. Some
of the Rifles were looking from the windows
of the convent at the punishment of the
Highlander, when a brickbat was hurled
from one of the casements, and fell at the
very toe of the lieutenant-colonel, who was
standing in the midst, and in command of
the regiment. The lieutenant- colonel (whose
name I never knew,) was of course indignant
at such an act ; he gazed up at the window
from which the brick had been thrown, and
caused an inquiry instantly to be made It
H 2
148 RECOLLECTIONS OF
was between the lights when this happened,
and it was impossible to discover who had
done it; liowever, two or three men of the
Kifles wei'e confined on suspicion. A man
named Baker flatly accused Corporal Liston
of the act ; upon which Liston was marched
a prisoner to Salamanca (a distance, I should
think, of some hundred miles) ; and often
did he complain of his hard fate in being a
prisoner so long. AVhen we got to Sala-
manca we halted there for eight days ; and
I^iston, being tried by general court-martial,
was sentenced to receive eight hundred
lashes. The whole brigade turned out on
the occasion ; and I remember that the
drummers of the Ninth regiment Avere the
inflictors of the lash. Liston received the
whole sentence without a murmur. He
had, indeed, been a good soldier, and we
were all truly sorry for him; in fact, he
always declared solemnly that he had no
more to do with the brickbat than Marshal
RLFLEMAN HARRIS. 149
Beresford who commanded the brigade.
Whoever committed the act, in my opinion,
well deserved what Liston got. Marshal
Beresford was in command of the brigade at
this time ; and I well remember what a line-
looking soldier he was. He was equal to his
business, too, I should say; and he, amongst
others of our generals, often made me think
that the French army had nothing to shew
in the shape of officers who could at all
compare with ours. There was a noble
bearing in our leaders, which they, on the
French side (as far as T was capable of
observing) had not; and I am convinced
that the English soldier is even better pleased
to be commanded by some man of rank in
his own country, than by one who has risen
from his own station.
They are a strange set, the English! and
so determined and unconquerable, that they
will have their way if they can. Indeed, it
requires one who has authority in his face.
150 IIFXOLLECTIONS OF
as well as at his back, to make them respect
and obey liim. They see too often, in the
instance of serjeant-majors, that conniiaiul
does not suit ignorant and coarse-minded
men ; and that tyranny is too much used
even in the brief authority which tliey have.
A soldier, I am convinced, is driven often
to insubordination by being worried by these
little-minded men for the veriest trifles, about
which the gentleman never thinks of tor-
menting him. Tlie moment the severity of
the discipline of our army is relaxed, in myopinion, farewell to its efficiency; but for
our men to be tormented about trifles (as I
have seen at times) is often very injurious
to a whole corps.
I never saw Liston after that punishment
whilst in Spain; and I suppose he remained
behind, and got on in the best manner he
was able in the rear; but, about ten years
afterwards, as I was passing down Sloane
Street, Chelsea, I observed a watchman calling
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 151
the hour. It struck rae that I knew his face,
and, turning back, I stopped him, asking if
he was not Robert Listen, formerly a cor-
poral in the Ninty-fifth Rifles ? After answer-
ing in the affirmative, the first words he
spoke were, " Oh ! Harris ! do you remember
what happened to me at Salamanca?"
" I do well^^^ I said.
"I was never guilty," he continued.
" There is no occasion for me to deny it
now ; but I tell you that I was never guilty
of the crime for which I suffered. Baker
was a villain, and I believe that he was
himself the culprit."
I recollect Marshal Beresford making a
speech on the subject of the buttons of our
great-coats ; and, however such a subject may
appear trifling for a general officer to speak
on, I can tell you, it was a discourse which
our men (some of them) much needed; for
they had been in the habit of tearing off the
buttons from their coats, and after hammer-
152 RECOLLECTIONS OF
ing them flat, passing them as English coin,
in exchange for the good wines of Spain.
So that, at last, the Spaniards, finding they
got nothing by the exchange but trumpery
bits of battered lead, and the children in
that country not being in the habit of phiy-
ing at dumps as ours are, they made com-
plaints to the Marshal. Halting the brigade,
therefore, one day, he gave them a speech
upon this fraud, and ended by promising a
handsome floofo-in"j to the first man he found
thereafter, whose great-coat would not keep
buttoned in windy weather.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 153
CHAPTER X.
THE RETREAT TO CORUNNA.
Hiding the gunpowder—False alarm -A halt-The Advancecountermanded, and the Retreat commenced.
At Sahagun we fell in with the armyunder command of Sir John Moore. I for-
get how many thousand men there were;
but they were lying in and around the townwhen we arrived. The Rifles marched to anol(^convent, some two miles from Sahagun,
where we were quartered, together with a
part of the 15th Hussars, some of the Welshfusileers and straggling bodies of men be-
longing to various other regiments; all
H 3
154 RECOLLECTIONS OF
seeming on the qui vive^ and expecting the
French to fall in with them every hour.
As our small and way-worn party came to
a halt before the walls of the convent, the
men from these different regiments came
swarming out to greet us, loudly cheering
us as they rushed up and seized our hands.
The difference in appearance between our-
selves and these new comers was indeed
(just then) very great. They looked fresh,
from good quarters, and good rations.
Their clothes and accoutrements were com-
paratively new and clean, and their
cheeks ruddy with the glow of health
and strength ; whilst our men, on the con-
trary, were gaunt-looking, way-worn, and
ragged; our faces burnt almost to the hue
of an Asiatic's by the sun; our accoutre-
ments rent and torn; and many without
even shoes to their feet. However, we had
some work in us yet ; and perhaps were in
better condhion for it than our more fresh-
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 155
lookino' comrades. And now our butcherso
tucked up their sleeves, and quickly set to
work, slaughtering oxen and sheep, which
we found within the convent walls ; whilst
others of our men, lighting fires in the open
air upon the snow, commenced cooking the
fragments, which were cut up, and distri-
buting to them ; so that very soon after our
arrival, we were more sumptuously regaled
than we had been for many days.
After this meal we were ordered into the
convent, and, with knapsacks on our backs,
and arms in our hands, threw ourselves
down to rest upon the floor of a long
passage. Overcome with hard toil, and
long miles, our wearied men were soon
buried in a deep and heavy sleep. In the
middle of the night I remember, as well as
if the sounds were at this moment in- my
ear, that my name was called out many
times without my being completely awakened
by the summons. The repeated call seemed
156 RECOLLECTIONS OF
mixed up with some circumstance in my
dreams; and it was not until the noise
awoke some of the men lying nearer to the
entrance of the passage, and they took up
the cry, that I was effectually aroused.
From wx'ariness, and the weight of my
knapsack, and the quantity of implements I
carried, I was at first quite unable to gain
my legs ; but when I did so, I found that
Quarter-master Surtees was the person who
was thus disturbing my rest.
" Come, be quick there, Harris !" said he,
as I picked my way by the light of the
candle he held in his hand; " look amongst
the men, and rouse up all the shoemakers
you have in the four coippanies. I have a
job for them, which must be done instantly.'
With some little trouble, and not a few
curses from them, as I stirred them up with
the butt of my rifle, I succeeded in waking
several of our snoring handicrafts ; and the
quarter-muster bidding us instantly follow
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 157
him, led the way to the very top of the
convent stairs. Passing then into a ruinous-
looking apartment, along which we walked
upon the rafters, there being no flooring, he
stopped when he arrived at its further
extremity. Here he proceeded to call our
attention to a quantity of barrels of gun*
powder lying beside a large heap of raw
bullock's hides.
" Now, Harris," said he, " keep your eyes
open, and mind what you are about here.
General Craufurd orders you instantly to
set to work, and sew up every one of these
barrels in the hides lying before you. You
are to sew the skins with the hair outwards,
and be quick about it, for the General swears
that if the job is not finished in half-an-hour
he will hang you."
The latter part of this order was anything
but pleasant ; and whether the General ever
really gave it, I never had an opportunity
of ascertaining. I only know that I give
158 RECOLLECTIONS OF
the words as they were given me ; and, well
knoAving the stuff Craufurd was made of, I
received the candle from the hands of Sur-
tees, and bidding the men get needles and
waxed thread from their knapsacks, as the
quarter-master withdrew, I instantly pre-
pared to set about the job.
I often think of that night's work as I sit
strapping away in my little shop in Rich-
mond Street, Solio. It was a curious scene
to look at, and the task neither very easy
nor safe. The Riflemen were wearied, un-
willing, and out of temper; and it was as
much as I could do to get them to assist
me. ^loreover, they were so reckless, that
they seemed rather to msh to blow the con-
vent into the air than to get on with their
work. One moment the candle was dropped,
and nearly extinguished ; the next they lost
their implements between the rafters of the
floor, flaring the light about amongst the
barrels ; and wishing, as I remonstrated with
ELFLEMAN HARRIS. 159
them, that the powder might ignite, and blow
me, themselves, and the General to .
Such were the Riflemen of the Peninsular
War,—daring, gallant, reckless fellows. I
had a hard task to get the work safely
finished; but, at length, between coaxing
and bullying these dare-devils, I managed
to do so, and together we returned down
the convent stairs; and, finding Surtees
awaiting us in the passage below, he re-
ported to General Craufurd that his order
had been obeyed. After which we were
permitted again to lie down, and sleep till
the bugle awoke us next morning.
We remained in the convent part of the
next day, and towards evening received
orders to leave all our women and baggage
behind, and advance towards the enemy.
Our four companies accordingly were quickly
upon the move, and before long we came up
with the remainder of the Rifle corps, which
had recently arrived from England with Sir
160 RECOLLECTIONS OF
John Moore. As these men saw us com-
ing up they halted for the moment, and
gave us one hearty cheer, allowing our four
companies to pass to the front, as the post
of honour, calling us " The heroes of Portu-
gal." As we passed to the front, we re-
turned their cheer with pride. Our worn
appearance and sun-burnt look gave us the
advantage over our comrades, we thought,
and we marched in the van of the vansuard.
AYar is a sad blunter of the feelings of
men. We felt eager to be at it again.
Nay, I am afraid we longed for blood as the
cheer of our comrades sounded in our ears;
and yet, amidst all this, softer feelings oc-
cassionally filled the breasts of those gallant
fellows, even whilst they were thirsting for
a sight of the enemy. Some of the men
near me suddenly recollected, as they saw
the snow lying thickly in our path, that this
was Christmas eve. The recollection soon
spread amongst the men ; and many talked
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 161
of home, and scenes upon that night in
other days, in Old England, shedding tears
as they spoke of the relatives and friends
never to be seen by them again.
As the night approached we became less
talkative. The increasing weariness of our
limbs kept our tongues quieter, and we were
many of us half asleep as we walked, when
suddenly a shout arose in front that the
French were upon us. In an instant every
man was on the alert, and we were rushing
forward, in extended order, to oppose them.
It proved a false alarm ; but it nearly cost
me a broken bone or two. The honourable
Captain Pakenham (now Sir Hercules Pa-
kenham), on the first sound of the enemy
being in sight, made a dash to get to the
front, at the same moment I myself was
scrambling up a bank on the road side. In
the darkness and hurry, the mule the captain
was mounted on bore me to the ground,
and, getting his fore-feet fast fixed some-
162 RECOLLECTIONS OF
how between my neck and my pack, we
were fairly hampered for some moments.
The captain swore, the mule floundered, and
I bellowed with alarm lest the animal should
dig his feet into my back, and quite disable
me. At length, however, the captain suc-
ceeded in getting clear, and spurred over the
bank, as I rolled back into the road. It
might be somewhere about two o'clock in the
morning that our advance into Spain was,
for that time, checked, and the retreat to
Corunna might be said to commence.
General Craufurd was in command of the
brigade, and riding in front, when I observed
a dragoon come spurring furiously along the
road to meet us. He delivered a letter to
the General, who turned round in his saddle
the moment he had read a few lines, and
thundered out the word " to halt !" Afew minutes more, and we were all turned
to the right-about, and retracing our steps
of the night before;—the contents of that
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 163
epistle serving to furnish our men with many
a surmise during the retrograide movement.
When we again neared Sahagun, I remember
seeing the wives and children of the men
come rushing into the ranks, and embracing
the husbands and fathers they expected
never to see again.
The entire Kifle corps entered the same
convent we had before been quartered in;
but this time we remained enranked in its
apartments and passages, no man being
allowed to quit his arms or lie down. Westood leaning upon the muzzles of our Kifles,
and dozed as we stood. After remaining
thus for about an hour, we were then ordered
out of the convent, and the word was again
given to march. There was a sort of thaw
on this day, and the rain fell fast. As we
passed the walls of the convent, I observed
our General (Craufurd) as he sat upon his
horse, looking at us on the march, and re-
marked the peculiar sternness of his features
:
164 RECOLLECTIONS OF
he did not like to see us going rearwards at
all; and many of us judged there must be
something wrong, by his severe look and
scowling eye.
"Keep your ranks there, men!" he said,
spurring his horse towards some Riflemen
who were avoiding a small rivulet. " Keep
your ranks and move on,
—
no straggling from
the main body."
We pushed on all that day without halt-
ing; and I recollect the first thing that
struck us as somewhat odd, was our passing
one of the commissariat waggons, overturned
and stuck fast in the mud, and which was
abandoned without an effort to save any of
its contents. A Serjeant of the 92nd High-
landers, just about this time, fell dead with
fatigue, and no one stopped, as we passed,
to offer him any assistance. Night came
down upon us, without our having tasted
food, or halted—I speak for myself, and
those around me—and all night long we
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 165
continued this dreadful march. Men began
to look into each other's faces, and ask the
question " Are we ever to be halted again? "
and many of the weaker sort were now seen
to stagger, make a few desperate efforts, and
then fall, perhaps to rise no more. Most of
us had devoured all we carried in our haver-
sacks, and endeavoured to catch up anything
we could snatch from hut or cottage in
our route. Many, even at this period,
would have straggled from the ranks, and
perished, had not Craufurd held them to-
gether with a firm rein. One such bold
and stern commander in the East, during a
memorable disaster, and that devoted army
had reached its refuge unbroken ! Thus
we staggered on, night and day, for about
four days, before we discovered the reason
of this continued forced march. The dis-
covery was made to our company by a
good tempered, jolly fellow, named Patrick
Mc Lauchlan. He inquired of an officer,
166 RECOLLECTIONS OF
marching directly in liis front, the destina-
tion intended.
"By J—s! Musther Hills," 1 heard him
say, " where the d—I is this you're taking
us to?"
" To Enirland, Mc Lauclilan " returned the
officer, with a melancholy smile upon his face,
as he gave tlie answer,— " if we can get there.''
" More luck and grace to you," said Mc
Lauchlan ;" and it's that you're maning,
is it?"
This Mc Lauchlan was a good specimen
of a thorouo^h Irish soldier. Nothin^r could
disturb his good-humour and high spirits;
and even during a part of this dreadful
march, he had ever some piece of Irish
humour upon his tongue's end, whilst he
staggered under the weight of his pack.
He would in all probability have been
amongst the few who did reach England;
but, during the march, he was attacked with
the racking pains of acute rheumatism, and
EIFLEIMAN HARRIS. 167
frequently fell to the ground screaming with
agony. On such occasions, his companions
would do that for him which they omitted
to perform towards others. They many
times halted, heaved him up, and assisted
him forwards. Sir Dudley Hill, too, was
greatly interested for Mc Lauchlan, trying
to cheer him on, whilst the men could
scarcely refrain from laughter at the extra-
ordinary things he gave utterance to whilst
racked with pain, and staggering with
fatigue. At length, however, Mc Lauchlan
fell one dark night, as we hurried through
the streets of a village, and we could not
again raise him.
" It's no use, Harris," I heard him say,
in a faint voice, " I can do no more."
Next morning, when day broke, he was
no longer seen in the ranks, and as I never
saw him again, I conclude he quickly
perished.
168 RECOLLECTIONS OF
CHAPTER XL
THE RETREAT TO CORUNNA.
Sufferings of the troops—Skirmishes with the pursuers
—
Two narrow escapes— The general on his rounds— Theenemy— Capture of a French general— New year's day.
The information Mc Lauchlan obtained
from Lieutenant Plill quickly spread amongst
us, and we now began to see more clearly
the horrors of our situation, and the men to
murmur at not being permitted to turn and
stand at bay,—cursing the French, and
swearing they would rather die ten thousand
deaths, with their rifles in their hands in
opposition, than endure the present toil.
We were in the rear at this time, and follow-
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 3 69
ing that part of the army which made for
Vigo, whilst the other portion of the British,
being on the main road to Corunna, were at
tliis moment closely pursued and harassed
hy the enemy, as I should judge from the
continued thunder of their cannon and rattle
of their musketry. Craufurd seemed to sniff
the sound of battle from afar with peculiar
feelings. He halted us for a few minutes
occasionally, when the distant clamour be-
came more distinct, and his face turned
towards the sound, and seemed to light up,
and become less stern. It was then indeed
that every poor fellow clutched his weapon
more firmly, and wished for a sight of the
enemy.
Before long, they had their wish : the
enemy's cavalry were on our skirts that
night; and as we rushed out of a small
village, the name of which I cannot now
recollect, we turned to bay. Behind broken-
down carts and tumbrils, huge trunks of
I
170 EECOLLECTIONS OF
trees, and eveiything we could scrape to-
gether, the Rifles lay and blazed away at
the advancing cavalry, whilst the inhabitants,
suddenly aroused from their beds to behold
their village almost on fire with our con-
tinued discharges, and nearly distracted with
the sound, ran from their houses, crying
" Viva VEnglisa!" and " Viva la FfancaP^
in a breath;—men, women, and children
flying to the open country, in their alarm.
We passed the night thus engaged, hold-
ing our own as well as we could, together
with the 43rd Light Infantry, the 52nd, a
portion of the German Legion, part of the
10th Hussars, and the 15th Dragoons.
Towards morning we moved down towards
a small bridge, still folloAved by the enemy,
whom, however, we had sharply galled, and
obliged to be more wary in their efforts.
The rain was pouring down in torrents on
this morning I recollect, and we remained
many hours with our arms ported, standing
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 171
in this manner, and staring the French
cavalry in the face, the water actually run-
ning out of the muzzles of our rifles. I do
not recollect seeing a single regiment of in-
fantry amongst the French force on this
day; it seemed to me a tremendous body of
cavalry—some said nine or ten thousand
strong—commanded, as I heard, by General
Lefebvre.
Whilst we stood thus, face to face, I re-
member the horsemen of the enemy sat
watching us very intently, as if waiting for
a favourable moment to dash upon us like
beasts of prey; and every now and then
their trumpets would ring out a lively strain
of music, as if to encourage them. As the
night drew on, our cavalry moved a little to
the front, together with several field-pieces,
and succeeded in crossing the bridge ; after
which we also advanced, and threw ourselves
into some hilly ground on either side the
road ; whilst the 43rd and 52nd lay behind
I 2
172 RECOLLECTIONS OF
some carts, trunks of trees, and other mate-
rials with which they had formed a barrier.
General Craufurd was standing behind
this barricade, Avhen he ordered the Rifles
to push still further in front, and conceal
themselves amongst the hills on either side.
A man named Higgins was my front-rank
man at this moment. " Harris," said he,
" let you and I gain the very top of the
mountain, and look out what those French
thieves are at on the other side."
]\Iy feet were sore and bleeding, and the
sinews of my legs ached as if they would
burst, but I resolved to accompany him.
In our wearied state, the task was not easy,
but, by the aid of Higgins, a tall and power-
ful fellow, 1 managed to reach the top of the
mountain, where we placed ourselves in a
sort of gully, or ditch, and looked over to
the enemy's side, concealing ourselves by
lying flat in the ditch, as we did so. Thus,
in favourable situations, like cats watching
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 173
for their prey, were the rest of the Eifles
lying perdu upon the hills that night. The
mountain, we found, was neither so steep
nor so precipitous on the enemy's side. The
ascent, on the contrary, was so easy, that
one or two of the videttes of the French
cavalry were prowling about very near
where we lay. As we had received orders
not to make more noise than we could help,
not even to speak to each other, except in
whispers, although one of these horsemen
approached close to where I lay, I forebore
to fire upon him. At length he stopped so
near me, that I saw it was almost impossible
he could avoid discovering that the Rifles
were in such close proximity to his person.
He gazed cautiously along the ridge, took
off his helmet, and wiped his face, as he
appeared to meditate upon the propriety of
crossing the ditch in which we lay; when
suddenly our eyes met, and in an instant he
plucked a pistol from his holster, fired it in
174 RECOLLECTIONS OF
my face, and, wheeling his horse, plunged
down the hill side. For the moment I
thought I was hit, as the ball grazed my
neck,* and stuck fast in my knapsack, where
I found it, when, many days afterwards, I
unpacked my kit on ship-board. About a
quarter of au liour after this, as we still lay
in the gully, I heard some person clambering
up behind us, and, upon turning quickly
round, I found it was General Craufurd.
The General was wrapped in his great-coat,
and, like ourselves, had been for many hours
drenched to the skin, for the rain was
coming down furiously. He carried in his
hand a canteen full of rum, and a small cup,
with which he was occasionally endeavour-
ing to refresh some of the men. He offered
me a drink, as he passed, and then pro-
ceeded onwards along the ridge. After he
had emptied his canteen, he came past us
* This ball I found in one of my shirts, and kept it long
afterwards.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 175
aojain, and himself orave us instructions as
to our future proceedings.
" When all is ready, Riflemen," said he,
" you will immediately get the word, and
pass over the bridge. Be careful, and mind
what you are about."
Accordingly, a short time after he had left
OS, we were ordered to descend the moun-
tain-side in single hie, and having gained
the road, were quickly upon the bridge.
Meanwhile the StaiF Corps had been hard at
work mining the very centre of the structure,
^vdiich was filled with gunpowder, a narrow
plank being all the aid we had by which
to pass over. For my own part, I was now
so utterly helpless, that I felt as if all was
nearly up with me, and that, if I could
steady myself so as to reach the further end
of the plank, it would be all I should be
able to accomplish. However, we managed
all of us to reach the other side in safety,
when, almost immediately afterwards, the
1 7G RECOLLECTIONS OF
bridge blew up with a tremendous report,
and a house at its extremity burst into
flames. What with the concussion of the
explosion, and the tremulous state of mylimbs, I was thrown to the ground, and lay
flat upon my face for some time, almost in
a state of insensibility. After awhile I
somewhat recovered ; but it was not with-
out extreme difficult)^, and many times
falling again, that I succeeded in regaining
the column. Soon after I had done so, we
reached Benevento, and immediately took
refuge in a convent. Already three parts
of it were filled with other troops, among
which were iningled the 10th Hussars, the
German Legion, and the 15th Dragoons;
the horses of these regiments standing as
close as they could stand, with the men dis-
mounted between each horse, the animals'
heads to the w^alls of the building, and all
in readiness to turn out on the instant.
Liquor was handed to us by the Dragoons,
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 177
bat having had nothing for some time to eat,
many of our men became sick, instead of
receiving any benefit from it.
Before we had been in the convent as long
a time as I have been describing our arrival,
every man of us was down on the floor, and
well nigh asleep ; and before we had slept
half an hour, we were again aroused from
our slumbers by the clatter of the horses,
the clash of the men's sabres, and their
shouts for us to clear the way.
" The enemy ! The enemy !" I heard
shouted out. .
" Clear the way, Rifles ! Up boys, and
clear the way !"
In short, the Dragoons hardly gave us
time to rise, before they were leading their
horses amongst us, and getting out of the
convent as fast as they could scamper, wliilst
we ourselves were not long in following their
example. As we did so, we discovered that
"the French cavalry, having found the bridge
178 RECOLLECTIONS OF
blown-up, had dashed into the stream, and
succeeded in crossing. Our cavalry, how-
ever, quickly formed, and charged them in
gallant style.
The shock of that encounter was tremen-
dous to look upon, and we stood for some
time enranked, watching the combatants.
The horsemen had it all to themselves; our
Drao-oons fousjht like timers,* and, althousfh
greatly ovemiatchod, drove the enemy back
like a torrent, and forced them again into
the river. A private of the 10th Hussars
—
his name, I think, was Franklin—dashed
into the stream after their General (Lefebvre),
assailed him, sword in hand, in the water,
captured, and brought him a prisoner on
shore again. If I remember rightly, Frank-
lin, or whatever else was his name, was
made a Serjeant on the spot. The French
General was delivered into our custody on
* It was said that Napoleon observed this encounter from
the heights.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 179
that occasion, and we cheered the 10th men
heartily as we received him.
After the enemy had received this clieck
from our cavalry, and which considerably
damped their ardour, making them a trifle
more shy of us for awhile, we pushed on-
wards on our painful march. I remember
marching close beside the French general
during some part of this day, and observing
his chap-fallen and dejected look as he rode
along in the midst of the green jackets.
Being constantly in rear of the main body,
the scenes of distress and misery I witnessed
were dreadful to contemplate, particularly
amongst the women and children, who were
lagging and falling behind, their husbands
and fathers being in the main body in our
front. We now came to the edge of a deep
ravine, the descent so steep and precipitous,
that it was impossible to keep our feet in get-
ting down, and we were sometimes obliged
to sit, and slide along on our backs ; whilst
180 RECOLLECTIONS OF
before us rose a ridge of mountains quite as
steep and difficult of ascent. There was,
however, no pause in our exertion, but,
slinging our rifles round our necks, down the
liill we went : whilst mules with the ba^jsfanre
on their ba(*ks, wearied and urged beyond
their strength, were seen rolling from top
to bottom ; many of them breaking their
necks with the fall, and the baggage
crushed, smashed, and abandoned.
I remember, as I descended this hill, re-
marking the extraordinary sight afforded
by the thousands of our red-coats, who were
creeping like snails, and toiling up the as-
cent before us, their muskets slung round
their necks, and clambering with both
hands as they hauled there selves up. As
soon as we ourselves had gained the ascent
we were halted for a few minutes, in order
to give us breath for another effort, and then
onwards we moved again.
It is impossible for me to keep any ac-
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 181
count of time in this description, as I
never exactly knew how many days and
nights we marched; but I well know we
kept on for many successive days and
nights, without rest, or much in the way
of food. The long day found us still
pushing on, and the night caused us no
halt.
After leaving the hills I have mentioned,
and which I heard at the time were called
the Mountains of Galicia, as we passed
through a village, our Major resolved to
try and get us something in the shape of a
better meal than we had been able hitherto
to procure. He accordingly despatched a
small party, who were somewhat more fresh
than their comrades, to try and procure
something from the houses around; and
they accordingly purchased, shot, and
bayoneted, somewhere about a score of
pigs, which we lugged along with us to a
convent just without the town ; and, halt-
182 RECOLLEC riONS OF
ing- for a short time, proceeded to cook
them. The men, liowever, were too hungry
to wait whilst tliey were being properly
dressed and served out.
After this hasty meal, we again pushed
on, still cursing the enemy for not again
shewing themselves, that we might revenge
some of our present miseries upon their
heads.
" AVhy don't they come on like men," they
cried, " whilst we 've strength left in us to
fight them?"
We were now upon the mountains; the
night was bitter cold, and the snow falling
fast. As day broke, I remember hearing
Lieutenant Hill say to another officer (who,
by the way, afterwards sank down, and
died),
" This is Xew Year's Day ; and, I think
if we live to see another, we shall not easily
forget it."
The mountains were now becoming more
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 183
wild-looking and steep, as we proceeded;
whilst those few huts we occasionally passed
seemed so utterly forlorn and wretched-
looking, it appeared quite a wonder how
human beings could live in so desolate a
home. After the snow commenced, the
hills became so slippery (being in many
parts covered with ice), that several of our
men frequently slipped and fell, and being-
unable to rise, gave themselves up to
despair, and died. There was now no
endeavour to assist one another after a
fall; it was every one for himself, and God
for us all
!
The enemy, I should think, were at this
time frequently close upon our trail ; and I
thought at times I heard their trumpets
come down the wind as we marched. To-
wards the dusk of the evening of this day
I remember passing a man and woman
lying clasped in each other's arms, and
dying in the snow. I knew them both;
184 RECOLLECTIONS OF
but it was impossible to help them. They
belonged to the Rifles, and were man and
wife. The man's name was Joseph Sit-
down. During this retreat^ as he had not
been in good health previously, himself and
wife had been allowed to get on in the best
way they could in the front. They liad,
however, now given in, and the last we ever
saw of poor Sitdown and his wife was on
that night, lying perishing in each other's
arms in the snow.
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 185
CHAPTER XII.
THE RETREAT TO CORUNNA.
The wind and the shorn lamb—General Craufurd, and his
treatment of the mutineers—An officer unmanned
—
Craufurd's inflexibility and endurance.
Many trivial things which happened
during the retreat to Corunna, and which
on any other occasion might have entirely
passed from my memory, have been, as
it were, branded into my remembrance,
and I recollect the most trifling incidents
which occurred from day to day during that
march. I remember, amongst other mat-
ters, that we were joined, if I may so term
it, by a young recruit, when such an addition
186 RECOIXECTIOXS OF
was anything but wished for during the
disasters of the hour. One of the men's
wires (who was struggling forward in the
ranks with us, presenting a ghastly picture
of illness, misery, and fatigue.) being very
large in the family-way, towards evenincr
stepped from amongst the crowd, and lay
herself down amidst the snow, a little out of
the main road. Her husband remained
with her: and I heard one or two hasty
observations amongst our men. that they had
taken pz^session of their last resting-place.
The enemy were, indeed, not far behind at
this time, the night was coming down, and
their chance seemed in truth but a bad one.
To remain behind the column of march in
such weather was to perish, and we accord-
ingly soon forgot all about them. To mysurprise, however. I, some little time after-
wards (being myself then in the rear of our
party), again saw the woman. She was
hurrying, with her husband, after us, and in
RITLOIAN HAEEIS. 187
her arms she caiTie«5 the babe she had just
given birth to. Her husband and herself,
between them, manaored to carry that mfant
to the end of the retreat, where we embarked.
God tempers the wind, it is said, to the shorn
lamb ; and many years afterwards I saw that
boy. a strong and healthy lad. The woman's
name was M'Guire, a sturdy and hardy
Irishwoman; and lucky was it for herself
and babe that she was so. as that night of
cold and sleet was in itself sufficient to try
the constitution of most females. I lost
sight of her, I recollect, on this night, when
the darkness came upon us: but with the
dawn, to my surprise, she was still among&t
us.
The shoes and boots of our parry were
now mostly either destroyed or useless to us.
from foul roads and long miles, and many of
the men were entirely barefooted, with knap-
sacks and accoutrements altogether in a
dilapidated state. The officers were also.
188 KECOLLECTIONS OF
for the most part, in as miserable a plight.
They were pallid, way-worn, their feet bleed-
ing, and their faces overgrown with beards
of many days' growth. What a contrast did
our corps display, even at this period of the
retreat, to my remembrance of them on the
morning their dashing appearance captivated
my fancy in Ireland! Many of the poor
fellows, now near sinking with fatigue, reeled
as if in a state of drunkenness, and altogether
I thouo-ht we looked the o-hosts of our former
selves; still we held on resolutely: our
officers behaved nobly; and Craufurd was
not to be daunted by long miles, fatigue, or
fine weather. Many a man in that retreat
caught courage from his stern eye and gallant
bearing. Indeed, I do not think the world
ever saw a more perfect soldier than General
Craufurd. It mioht be on the niojht follow-
ing the disaster I have just narrated, that we
came to a halt for about a couple of hours
in a small village, and together with several
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 189
others, I sought shelter in the stable of a
sort of farm-house, the first roof I saw near.
Here, however, we found nothing to refresh
ourselves with, by way of food, but some raw
potatoes lying in a heap in one of the empty
stalls, and which, for want of better rations,
we made a meal of, before we threv/ ourselves
down ujion the stones with which the place
was paved. Meanwhile, others of the men,
together with two or three of our officers,
more fortunate than ourselves, had posses-
sion of the rooms of the adjoining building,
where they found at least a fire to warm them-
selves. Lieutenant Hill had a black servant
with him in this retreat, a youth he had
brought with him from Monte Video, where,
I heard, the Rifles had found him tied to a
gun they had captured there. This lad
came and aroused me as I lay in the mule-
stable, and desired me to speak with his
master in the adjoining room. I found the
lieutenant seated in a chair by the fire when I
190 RECOLLECTIONS OF
entered. He was one of the few amongst us
who rejoiced in the possession of a tolerably
decent pair of boots, and he had sent for me
to put a few stitches in them ; in order to
keep them from flying to pieces. I was so
utterly wearied, that I at first refused to
have anything to do with tliem; but the
officer, taking off his boots, insisted upon my
getting out my wax threads and mending
them; and himself and servant, thrusting
me into the chair he arose from, put the boots
into my hands, got out my shoemaking im-
plements, and held me up as I attempted
to cobble up the boots. It was, however, in
vain that I tried to do my best towards the
lieutenant's boots. After a few stitches, I
fell asleep as I worked, the awl and wax-ends
falling to the ground. I remember there
were two other officers present at the time,
Lieutenants MoUoy and Keppel, the latter
of whom soon afterwards fell dead from
fatigue during this retreat. At the present
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 191
time, however, they all saw it was in vain to
urge me to mend Lieutenant Hill's boots.
He therefore put them on again with a woe-
ful face and a curse, and dismissed me to
my repose. Our rest was not, however,
of long duration. The French were upon
our trail, and before long we were up and
hurrying onwards again.
As the day began to dawn, we passed
through another village—a long, straggling
place. The houses were all closed at this
early hour, and the inhabitants mostly
buried in sleep, and, I dare say, uncon-
scious of the armed thousands who were
pouring through their silent streets. Whenabout a couple of miles from this village,
Craufurd again halted us for about a
quarter of an hour. It appeared to methat, with returning daylight, he wished to
have a good look at us this morning, for
he mingled amongst the men as we stood
leaning upon our rifles, gazing earnestly in
192 RECOLLECTIONS OF
our faces as he passed, in order to judge of
our plight by our countenances. lie him-
self appeared anxious, but full of fire and
spirit, occasionally giving directions to the
<lirterent officers, and then speaking words of
encouragement to the men. It is my pride
now to remember that General Craufurd
seldom omitted a word in passing to myself.
On this occasion, he stopped in the midst,
and addressed a few words to me, and glanc-
ing down at my feet, observed
:
"What! no shoes, Harris, I see, eh?"
" None, sir," I replied ;" they have been
gone many days back." He smiled, and
passing on, spoke to another man, and so on
through the whole bod}'.
Craufurd was, I remember, terribly severe,
during this retreat, if he caught anything
like pilfering amongst the men. As we stood,
however, during this short halt, a very
tempting turnip-field was close on the side
of us, and several of the men were so
RIPLEMAN HARRIS. 193
ravenous, that although he was in our very-
ranks, they stepped into the field and helped
themselves to the turnips, devouring them
like famishing wolves. He either did not or
would not observe the delinquency this time,
and soon afterwards gave the word, and we
moved on once more.
About this period I remember another
sight, which I shall not to my dying day
forget; and it causes me a sore heart, even
now, as I remember it. Soon after our halt
beside the turnip-field the screams of a child
near me caught my ear, and drew my atten-
tion to one of our women, who was endea-
vouring to drag along a little boy of about
seven or eight years of age. The poor child
was apparently completely exhausted, and
his legs failing under him. The mother had
occasionally, up to this time, been assisted
by some of the men, taking it in turn to
help the little fellow on ; but now all further
appeal was vain. No man had more strengtU
K
194 RECOLLECTIONS OF
than was necessary for tlie support of his
own carcass, and the mother could no lonirer
raise the child in her arms, as her reelinjr
pace too plainly shewed. Still, however,
she continued to drag the child along with
her. It was a pitiable sight, and wonderful
to behold the eiforts the poor woman made
to keep the boy amongst us. At last the
little fellow had not even strength to cry,
but, with mouth wide open, stumbled on-
wards, until both sank down to rise no
more. The poor woman herself had, for
some time, looked a moving corpse; and
Avhen the shades of evening came down,
they were far behind amongst the dead or
dying in the road. This was not the only
scene of the sort I witnessed amongst the
Avomen and children during that retreat.
Poor creatures ! they must have bitterly re-
gretted not having accepted the offer which
was made to them to embark at Lisbon for
England, instead of accompanying their
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 195
husbands into Spain. The women, however,
I have often observed, are most persevering
in such cases, and are not to be persuaded
that their presence is often a source of anx-
iety to the corps they belong to.
I do not think I ever admired any man
who wore the British uniform more than I
did General Craufurd.
I could fill a book with descriptions of
him ; for I frequently had my eye upon him
in the hurry of action. It was gratifying
to me, too, to think he did not altogether
think ill of me, since he has often addressed
me kindly when, from adverse circumstances,
you might have thought that he Uad scarcely
spirits to cheer up the men under him.
The Rifles liked him, but they also feared
him ; for he could be terrible when insubor-
dination shewed itself in the ranks. " You
think, because you are Riflemen, you may
do whatever you think proper," said he, one
day, to the miserable and savage-looking
K 2
196 RECOLLECTIONS OF
crew around him, in the retreat to Corunna
;
" but I '11 teach you the difference before I
have done with you." I remember one
evening, during the retreat, he detected two
men straying away from the main body : it
was in the early stage of that disastrous
flight, and Craufurd knew well that he must
do his utmost to keep the division together.
He halted the brigade with a voice of thun-
der, ordered a drum-head court-martial on
the instant, and they were sentenced to a
hundred a-piece. Whilst this hasty trial
was taking place, Craufurd dismounting
from his horse, stood in the midst, looking
stern and angry as a worried bull-dog. He
did not like retreating at all, that man.
The three men nearest him, as he stood,
were Jagger, Dan Howans, and myself.
All were worn, dejected, and savage, though
nothing to what we were after a few days
more of the retreat. The whole brigade
were in a grumbling and discontented mood
;
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 197
and Craufurd, doubtless, felt ill pleased with
the aspect of affairs altogether.
"D—n his eyes!" muttered Howans, "he
had much better try to get us something to
eat and drink, than harass us in this way."
No sooner had Howans disburdened his
conscience of this growl, than Craufurd, who
had overheard it, turning sharply round,
seized tha rifle out of dagger's hand, and
felled him to the earth with the butt-end.
" It was not I who spoke," said dagger,
getting up, and shaking his head. " You
shouldn't knock me about."
" I heard you, sir," said Craufurd ;" and I
will bring you also to a court-martial."
" I am the man who spoke," said Howans.
" Ben dagger never said a word."
" Very well," returned Craufurd, " then
I '11 try you, sir."
And, accordingly, when the other affair
was disposed of, Howans' case came on.
By the time the three men were tried, it
198 UECOLLECTIONS OF
was too dark to inflict tlie punishment.
Howans, however, had got the complement
of three hundred promised to him; so Crau-
furd gave tlie word to the brigade to move
on. He marched all that niglit on foot;
and when the morning dawned, I remember
that, like the rest of us, his hair, beard, and
eye-brows, were covered with the frost, as if
he had grown white with age. AVe were,
indeed, all of us in the same condition.
Scarcety had I time to notice the appearance
of morning before the general once more
called a halt—we were then on the hills.
Ordering a square to be formed, he spoke
to the brigade, as well as I can remember,
in these words, after having ordered the
three before-named men of the 95th to be
brought into the square :
—
" Although," said he, " I should obtain
the ffood-will neither of the officers nor theo
men of the brigade here by so doing, I am
resolved to punish these three men, according
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 199
to the sentence awarded, even though the
French are at our heels. Begin with Daniel
Howans."
This was indeed no time to be lax in dis-
cipline, and the general knew it. The men,
as I said, were, some of them, becoming care-
less and ruffianly in their demeanour ; whilst
others, again, I saw with the tears falling
down their cheeks from the agony of their
bleeding feet, and many were ill with dy-
sentery from the eifects of the bad -food they
had got hold of and devoured on the road.
Our knapsacks, too, were a bitter enemy on
this prolonged march. Many a man died,
I am convinced, who would have borne up
well to the end of the retreat, but for the
infernal load we carried on our backs. Myown knapsack was my bitterest enemy; I
felt it press me to the earth ahnost at times,
and more than once felt as if I should die
under its deadly embrace. The knapsacks,
in my opinion, should have been abandoned
200 RECOLLECTIONS OF
at the very cominencement of the retrograde
movement, as it would liave been better to
have lost them altogether, if, by such loss,
we could have saved the poor fellows who,
as it was, died strapped to them on the road.
There was some difficulty in lindnig a
place to tie Howans up, as the light brigade
carried no halberts. However, they led him
to a slender ash tree which grew near at
hand.
"Don't trouble yourselves about tying me
up," said Howans, folding his arms; "I'll
take my punishment like a man !
"
He did so without a murmur, receiving
the whole three hundred. His wife, who was
])resent with us, I remember, was a strong,
hardy Irishwoman. AVhen it was over, she
stepped up and covered Howans with his
grey great-coat. The general then gave the
word to move on. I rather think he knew
the enemy was too near to punish the other
two delinquents just then; so we proceeded
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 201
out of the corn-field in which we had been
halted, and toiled away upon the hills once
more, Howans' wife carrying the jacket,
knapsack, and pouch, which the lacerated
state of the man's back would not permit
him to bear.
It could not have been, I should think,
more than an hour after the punishment
had been inflicted upon Howans, when the
general again gave the word for the brigade
to halt, and once more formed them into
square. We had begun to suppose that he
intended to allow the other two delinquents
to escape, under the present difficulties and
hardships of the retreat. He was not, how-
ever, one of the forgetful sort, when the
discipline of the army under him made
severity necessary.
"Bring out the two other men of the
95th," said he, " who were tried last night."
The men were brought forth accord,
ingly, and their lieutenant-colonel, Hamilton
K 3
202 RECOLLECTIONS OF
Wade, at the same time stepped forth. He
walked up to the general, and lowering his
sword, requested that he would forgive these
men, as they were both of them good sol-
diers, and had fought in all the battles of
Portugal.
" I order you^ sir," said the general,
"to do your duty. These men shall be
punished."
The lieutenant-colonel, therefore, recover-
ing his sword, turned about, and full back
to the front of the Rifles. One of the men,
upon this (I think it was Armstrong), im-
mediately began to unstrap his knapsack,
and prepare for the lash. Craufurd had
turned about meanwhile, and walked up to
one side of the square. Apparently he sud-
denly relented a little, and, again turaing
sharp round, returned towards the two
prisoners. " Stop," said he. " In conse-
quence of the intercession of your lieute-
nant-colonel, I will allow you thus much
:
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 203
you shall draw lots, and the winner shall
escape ; but one of the two I am determined
to make an example of."
The square was formed in a stubble-field,
and the sergeant-major of the Rifles, imme-
diately stooping down, plucked up two straws,
and the men, coming forward, drew. I
cannot be quite certain, but I think it was
Armstrong who drew the longest straw, and
won the safety of his hide; and his fellow
gamester was in quick time tied to a tree?
and the punishment commenced. A hun-
dred was the sentence ; but when the bugler
had counted seventy-five, the general granted
him a further indulgence, and ordered him
to be taken down, and to join his company.
The general calling for his horse, now
mounted for the first time for many hours;
for he had not ridden all night, not, indeed,
since the drum-head court-martial had taken
place. Before he put the brigade in mo-
tion again, he gave us another short spe-
204 RECOLLECTIONS OF
cimen of his eloquence, pretty much, I re-
member, after this style :
—
" I give you all notice," said he, " that I
will halt the brigade again the very first
moment I perceive any man disobeying myorders, and try him by court-martial on
the spot." He then gave us the word, and
we resumed our march.
Many who read this, especiallj^ in these
peaceful times, may suppose this was a cruel
and unnecessary severity under the dreadful
and harassing circumstances of that retreat;
but I, who was there, and was, besides, a com-
mon soldier of the very regiment to which
these men belonged, say it was quite necessary.
No man but one formed of stuff like General
Craufurd could have saved the brigade from
perishing altogether; and, if he flogged two,
he saved hundreds from death by his
management. I detest the sight of the
lash; but I am convinced the British army
can never go on without it. Late events
KIFLEMAN HARRIS. 205
have taught us the necessity of such mea-
sures. '
It was perhaps a couple of days after this
had taken place that we came to a river.
It was tolerably wide, but not very deep,
which was just as well for us; for, had it
been deep as the dark regions, we must have
somehow or other got through. The avenger
was behind us, and Craufurd was along with
us, and the two together kept us moving,
whatever was in the road. Accordingly,
into the stream went the light brigade, and
Craufurd, as busy as a shepherd with his
flock, riding in and out of the water, to keep
his wearied band from being drowned as
they crossed over. Presently he spied an
officer who, to save himself from being wet
through, I suppose, and wearing a damp
pair of breeches for the remainder of the day,
had mounted on the back of one of his men.
The sight of such a piece of effeminacy was
enough to raise the choler of the general, and
206 RECOLLECTIONS OF
in a very short time he was plunging and
splashing through the water after them
both.
" Put him down, sir ! put him down ! I
desire you to put that officer down in-
stantly !" And the soldier in an instant, I
dare say nothing loth, dropping his burden,
like a hot potatoe, into the stream, continued
his progress through. " Return back, sir,"
said Craufurd to the officer, "and go through
the water like the others. I will not allow
my officers to ride upon the men's backs
through the rivers : all must take their share
alike here."
Wearied as we were, this aifair caused all
who saw it to shout almost with laughter,
and was never forgotten by those who sur-
vived the retreat.
General Craufurd was, indeed, one of the
few men who was apparently created for com-
mand during such dreadful scenes as we
were familiar with in this retreat. Pie
KIFLEIHAN HAERIS. 207
seemed an iron man ; nothing daunted him
—
nothing turned him from his purpose. War
was his very element, and toil and danger
seemed to call forth only an increasing
determination to surmount them. I was
sometimes amused with his appearance, and
that of the men around us; for, the Rifles
being always at his heels, he seemed to think
them his familiars. If he stopped his horse, and
halted to deliver one of his stern reprimands,
you would see half-a-dozen lean, unshaven,
shoeless, and savage Riflemen, standing for
the moment leaning upon their weapons,
and scowling up in his face as he scolded •,
and when he dashed the spurs into his reek-
ing horse, they would throw up their rifles
upon their shoulders, and hobble after him
again. He was sometimes to be seen in the
front, then in the rear, and then you would
fall in with him again in the midst, dis-
mounted, and marching on foot, that the
men might see he took an equal share in the
208 RECOLLECTIONS OF
toils which they were enduring. He had
a mortal dislike, I remember, to a com-
missary. Many a time have I heard him
storming at the neglect of those gentry,
when the men were starving for rations, and
nothing but excuses forthcoming.
" Send the commissary to me !" he would
roar. " D—n him ! I will hang him if the
provisions are not up this night!"
Twice I remember he was in command of
the light brigade. The second time he joined
them he made, I heard, something like these
remarks, after they had been some little time
in Spain:
—
When I commanded you before/' he said,
" I know full well that you disliked me, for
you thought me severe. Tltis time Iam glad
to find there is a change in yourselves^
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 209
CHAPTER XIII.
THE RETREAT TO CORUNNA.
Nightfall in the wilderness—Dangerous ground—Men lost
—Craufurd's magic lantern—A friend in need—Sir
Dudley Hill.
Towards evening, of the same day
Howans was punished, we came to a part
of the country of a yet wilder and more
desolate appearance even than that we had
already traversed; a dreary wilderness it
appeared at this inclement season : and our
men, spite of the vigilance of the General,
seemed many of them resolved to stray into
the open country, rather than traverse the
road before them. The coming night fa-
210 RECOLLECTIONS OF
voured their designs, and many were, before
morning, lost to us through their own wil-
fuhicss. Amongst others, I found myself
completely bewildered and lost upon the
heath, and should doubtless have perished
had I not fallen in with another of our corps
in the same situation. As soon as we re-
cognised each other, I found ray companion
in adversity was a strapping resolute fellow
named James Brooks, a north of Ireland
man. He was afterwards killed at Toulouse,
by a musket ball which struck him in the
thigh. He was delighted at having met
with me, and we resolved not to desert each
other during the night. Brooks, as I have
said, was a strong, active, and resolute fel-
low, as indeed I had, on more occasions
than one, witnessed in Portugal. At the
present time, his strength was useful to both
of us.
" Catch hold of my jacket, Harris," said
he :" the s^round here is soft, and we must
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 211
help each other to-night, or we shall be lost
in the bogs."
Before long, that which Brooks feared,
happened; and he found himself stuck so
fast in the morass, that although I used my
best eiForts to draw him out, 1 only shared
in the same disaster; so that, leaving him,
I turned and endeavoured to save my own
life if possible, calling to him to follow be-
fore he sank over head and ears. This was
an unlucky chance in our wearied state, as
themore we floundered in the dark, not know-
ing which way to gain a firmer foundation,
the faster we fixed ourselves. Poor Brooks
was so disheartened, that he actually blub-
bered like a child. At length, during a
pause in our exertions, I thought I heard
something like the bark of a dog come down
the wind. I bade Brooks listen, and we
both distinctly heard it—the sound gave us
new hope, just as we were about to abandon
ourselves to our fate. I advised Brooks to
212 RECOLLECTIONS OF
lay himself as flat as he could, and drag him-
self out of the slough, as I had found some
hard tufts of grass in the direction I tried;
and so, by degrees, we gained a firmer foot-
ing, and eventually succeeded in extricating
ourselves, though in such an exhausted
state, that for some time we lay helplessly
upon the ground, unable to j^roceed.
At length with great caution, we ven-
tured to move forwards in the direction of
the sounds we had just heard. We found,
however, that our situation was still very
perilous; for in the darkness we hardly
dared to move a step in any direction, with-
out probing the ground with our rifles, lest
we should again sink, and be eventually
smothered in the morasses we had strayed
amongst. On a sudden, however (as we
carefully felt our way), we heard voices
shouting in the distance, and calling out
" Men lost ! men lost !" which we imme-
diately concluded were the cries of some of
EIFLEMAN HAERIS. 213
our own people, who were situated like our-
selves.
After awhile, I thought I saw, far away,
something like a dancing light, which seemed
to flicker about, vanish, and reappear, simi-
lar to a Jack-o'-lantern. I pointed it out
to L'rooks, and we agreed to alter our
course, and move towards it. As we did so,
the light seemed to approach us, and grow
larger, and presently another and another
appeared, like small twinkling stars, till they
looked something like the lamps upon one
of our London bridges, as seen from afar.
The sight revived our spirits, more especi-
ally as we could now distinctly hear the
shouts of people, who appeared in search of
the stragglers, and as they approached us,
we perceived that such was indeed the case.
The lights, we now discovered, were fur-
nished by bundles of straw and dried twigs,
tied on the ends of long poles, and dipped
in tar. They were borne in the hands of
214 RECOLLECTIONS OF
several Spanish peasants, from a village
near at hand, whom Craufurd had thus sent
to our rescue.
He had discovered, on reaching and halt-
ing in this village, the number of men that
had strayed from the main body, and im-
mediately ordering the torches I have men-
tioned to be prepared, he collected together
a party of Spanish peasants, and obliged
them to go out into the open country, and
seek for his men, as I have said; by which
means he saved (on that night) many from
death.
To return to my own adventures on this
night. AVhen Brooks and myself reached
the village I have mentioned, we found it
filled with soldiers, standing and lying,
huddled together like cattle in a fair. Amost extraordinary sight it appeared, as the
torches of the peasants flashed upon the
way-w^orn and gaunt figures of our army.
The rain was coming down, too, on this
RIPLEMAN HARRIS. 215
night, I remember ; and soon after I reached
our corps, I fell helplessly to the ground in
a miserable plight. Brooks was himself
greatly exhausted, but he behaved nobly,
and remained beside me, trjang to persuade
some of our men to assist him in lifting
me up, and gaining shelter in one of the
houses at hand. " May I be — !" I heard
him say, " if I leave Harris to be butchered
in the streets by the cowardly Spaniards
the moment our division leaves the town."
At length Brooks succeeded in getting a^
man to help him, and together they sup-
ported me into the passage of a house, where
I lay upon the floor for some time. After
awhile, by the help of some wine they pro-
cured, 1 rallied and sat up, till eventually-
1
got once more upon my legs, and, arm in
arm, we proceeded again into the streets,
and joined our corps. Poor Brooks cer-
tainly saved my life that night. He was
one of the many good fellows whom I have
216 RECOLLECTIONS OF
seen out, and I often think of him with
feelings of gratitude as I sit at my work in
Richmond Street, Soho.
When the division got the order to pro-
ceed again, we were still linked arm in arm,
and thus we proceeded; sometimes, when
tlie day appeared, stopping for a short time
and resting ourselves, and then hurrying on
again.
I rememher Sir Dudley Hill passing me
on a mule this day. He wore a Spanish
straw-hat, and had his cloak on. He looked
back when he had passed, and addressed
me. " Harris," said he, " I see you cannot
keep up." He appeared sorry for me, for
he knew me well. " You must do your
best," he said, " my man, and keep with
us, or you will fall into the hands of the
enemy." As the day wore on, I grew
weaker and weaker ; and at last, spite of all
my efforts, I saw the main body leave me
hopelessly in the lurch. Brooks himself
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 217
was getting weaker too; he saw it was of
little use to urge me on, and at length,
assenting to my repeated request to be left
behind, he hurried on as well as he was able
without a word of farewell. I now soon
sank down in the road and lay beside
another man who had also fallen, and was
apparently dead, and whom I recognised
as one of our sergeants, named Taylor, be-
longing to the Honourable Captain Paken-
ham's (now General Sir Hercules Pakenham)
company.
218 RECOLLECTIONS OF
CHAPTER XIV.
THE liETliEAT TO COKUNNA.
Fate of the Btragglcrs—A Spanish welcome—Scenes upon
the line of niJirch—
'i'hc English ships in sight—Theembarkation and arrivnl of the troops in England.
A\'iiiLST -sve Iny exhausted in tlic road,
the rear guard, whicli was now endeavour-
ing to drive on the stragglers, approached,
and a sergeaiit of the Rifles came up, and
stopped to look at us. He addressed him-
self to me, and ordered me to rise ; but I
told him it was useless for him to trouble
himself about me, as I was unable to move
a step further. "Whilst he was urging me
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 219
to endeavour to rise up, the officer in com-
mand of the rear guard also stepped up.
The name of this officer was Lieutenant
Cox; he was a brave and good man, and
observing that the sergeant was rough in
his language and manner towards me, he
silenced him, and bade the guard proceed,
and leave me. "Let him die quietly,
Hicks," he said to the sergeant. " I know
him well ; he 's not the man to lie here if he
could get on.—I am sorry, Harris," he said,
" to see you reduced to this, for I fear
there is no help to be had now." He then
moved on after his men, and left me to my
fate.
After lying still for awhile, I felt some-
what restored, and sat up to look about me.
The sight was by no means cheering. On
the road behind me I saw men, women,
mules, and horses, lying at intervals, both
dead and dying ; whilst far away in front I
could just' discern the enfeebled army crawl-
L 2
220 KEC'OLLECTIONS OF
ing out of sight, the Avonieii* huddled
together in its rear, trying their best to get
forward amongst those of the siek soldiery,
who were now unable to keep up with the
main body. After awhile, I found that mycompanion, the sergeant, who lay beside me,
bad also recovered a little, and I tried to
cheer him up. I told him that opposite to
Avhere we were lying there was a lane, down
wliic-li we might possibly find soujc })lace of
shelter, if we could muster strength to ex-
plore it. The sergeant consented to make
the effort, but after two or three attempts
to rise, gave it up. 1 myself was more
fortunate: with the aid of my rifle I got
upon my legs, and seeing death in my com-
panion's face, I resolved to try and save
myself,since it was quite evident to me that
I could render him no assistance.
* Some of these poor wretches cut a ludicrous figure,
haung the men's great-coats buttoned over their heads,
whilst their clothing being extremely ragged and scanty,
their naked legs were very conspicuous. Ttiey looked a
tribe of travelling beggars.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 221
After hobbling some distance down the
lane, to my great joy I espied a small hut
or cabin, with a little garden in its front;
I therefore opened the small door of the
hovel, and was about to enter, when I
considered that most likely I should be
immediately knocked on the head by the
inmates if 1 did so. The rain, I remember,
was coming down in torrents at this time,
and, reflecting that to remain outside w^as
but to die, I resolved at all events to try
my luck within. I had not much strength
left; but I resolved to sell myself as dearly
as I could. I therefore brought up my
rifle, and stepped across the threshold. As
soon as I had done so, 1 observed an old
woman seated beside a small fire upon the
hearth. She turned her head as I entered,
and immediately upon seeing a strange sob
dier, she arose, and filled the hovel with her
screams. As I drew back within the door-
way, an elderly man, followed by two, who
222 RECOLLECTIONS OF
were npparently liis sons, rushed from a room
in the interior. They immediately ap-
proaclied me; ])iit I brought up my rifle
again, and cocked it, bidding tliem keep their
distance.
After ] liad tlius broujrht them to a
parley, I got together what little Spanish I
was master of, and begged for shelter for
the night and a morsel of food, at the same
time lifting my feet and displaying them a
mass of bleeding sores. It was not, how-
ever, till they had lield a tolerably long
conversation among themselves that they
consented to afford me sJielter; and then
only upon the condition that I left by day-
light on the following morning. I accepted
the conditions with joy. Had they refused
me, I should indeed not have been here to
tell the tale. Knowing the treachery of
the Spanish character, I however refused to
relinquish possession of my rifle, and my
right hand was ready in an instant to un-
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 223
sheath my bayonet, as they sat and stared
at me whilst I devoured the food they
offered.
All they gave me was some coarse black
bread, and a pitcher of sour wine. It was,
however, acceptable to a half-famished man
;
and I felt greatly revived by it. Whilst I
supped, the old hag, who sat close beside
the hearth, stirred up the embers, that they
might have a better view of their guest,
and the party meanwhile overwhelmed me
with questions, which I could neither com-
prehend nor had strength to answer. I
soon made signs to them that I was unable
to maintain the conversation, and begged of
them, as well as I could, to shew me some
place where I might lay my wearied limbs
till dawn.
Notwithstanding the weariness which
pervaded my whole body, I was unable for
some time to sleep except by fitful snatches,
such was the fear I entertained of having
224 RECOLLECTIONS OF
my throat cut l)y the savage-looking
Avretches still seated before the fire. Be-
sides which, the place they had permitted
me to crawl into w^as more like an oven
than anything else, and being merely a sort
of berth scooped out of the wall, was so
lilled with fleas and other vermin, that I
was stung and tormented most miserably
all nioht lono:.
Bad as they had been, however, I felt
somewhat restored by my lodging and sup-
per, and with the dawn I crawled out of
my lair, left the hut, retraced my steps
along the lane, and once more emerged
upon the high-road, where I found my com-
panion, the sergeant, dead, and lying where
I had left him the night before.
I now made the best of my way along
the road in the direction in which I had
last seen our army retreating the night
before. A solitary individual, I seemed left
behind amongst those who had perished.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 225
It was Still raining, I remember, on this
morning, and the very dead looked comfort-
less in their last sleep, as I passed them
occasionally lying on the line of march.
It had pleased Heaven to give me an iron
constitution, or I must have failed, I think,
on this day, for the solitary journey, and
the miserable spectacles I beheld, rather
damped my spirits.
After progressing some miles, I came up
with a cluster of poor devils who were still
alive, but apparently, both men and wonien^
unable to proceed. They were sitting hud-
dled together in the road, their heads
drooping forward, and apparently patiently
awaiting their end.
Soon after passing these unfortunates, I
overtook a party who were being urged
forward under charge of an officer of the
42nd Highlanders. He was pushing them
along pretty much as a drover would keep
together a tired flock of sheep. They pre-
L 3
226 RECOLLECTIONS OF
sented a curious example of a retreating
force. ]\Iany of them had thrown away
their weapons, and were linked together
arm-in-arm, in order to support each other,
like a party of drunkards. They were, I
saw, composed of various regiments; many
were bare-headed, and without shoes; and
some with their heads tied up in old rags
and fragments of handkerchiefs.
I marched in company with this party
for some time, but as I felt after my night's
lodging and refreshment in better condition
I ventured to push forwards, in the hope of
rejoining the main body, and Avhich I once
more came up with in the street of a
village.
On falling in with the Rifles, I again
found Brooks, who was surprised at seeing
me still alive ; and we both entered a house,
and begged for something to drink. I re-
member that I had a shirt upon my back
at this time, which I had purchased of a
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 227
drummer of the Ninth regiment before the
commencement of the retreat. It was the
only good one I had; I stripped, with the
assistance of Brooks, and took it off, and
exchanged it with a Spanish woman for a
I'j'df of bread, which Brooks, myself, and
two other men, shared amongst us.
I remember to have again remarked
Craufurd at this period of the retreat. He
was no whit altered in his desire to keep
the force together, I thought; but still
active and vigilant as ever, he seemed to
keep his eye upon those who were now most
likely to hold out. I myself marched
during many hours close beside him this
day. He looked stern and pale; but the
very picture of a warrior. I shall never
forget Craufurd if I live to a hundred
years, I think. He was in everything a
soldier.
Slowly and dejectedly crawled our army
along. Their spirit of endurance was now
228 KECOLLECTIONS OF
considerably worn out, and judging from
my own sensations, I felt confident that if
the sea was much further from us, we must
be content to come to a lialt at last witliout
gaining it. I felt something like the ap-
proach of death as I proceeded—a sort of
horror, mixed up with my sense of illness
—
a leeling I have never experienced before or
since. Still I held on; but with all my
efforts, the main body again left me behind.
Had the enemy's cavalry come up at this
time I think they would have had little else
to do but ride us down without striking a
blow.
It is, however, indeed astonishing how
man clings to life. I am certain that had I
lain down at this period, I should have
found my last billet on the spot I sank
upon. Suddenly I heard a shout in front,
wliich was prolonged in a sort of hubbub.
Even the stragglers whom I saw dotting
the road in front of me seemed to have
KIFLEAIAN HARRIS. 229
caught at sometliing like hope; and as the
poor fellows now reached the top of a
hill we were ascending!;, I heard an occa-
sional exclamation of joy—the first note
of the sort I had heard for many days.
When I reached the top of the hill the thing
spoke for itself. There, far away in our
front, the English shipping lay in sight.*
Its view had indeed acted like a restora-
tive to our force, and the men, at the
prospect of a termination to the march,
had plucked up spirit for a last effort.
Fellows who, like myself, seemed to have
hardly strength in their legs to creep up
the ascent, seemed now to have picked up a
fresh pair to get down with. Such is hope
to us poor mortals
!
There was, I recollect, a man of the name
of Bell, of the Rifles, who had been during
this day holding a sort of creeping race
* Our division, under Craufurd, in this retreat, as I have
before mentioned, made for Vigo.
230 RECOLLECTIONS OF
with me,—we had passed and repassed each
other, as our strength served. Bell was
rather a discontented fellow at the best of
times ; but during this retreat he had given
full scope to his ill-temper, cursing the
hour he w^as born, and wishing his mother
had strangled him when he came into the
world, in order to have saved him from his
present toil. He had not now spoken for
some time, and the sight of the English
shipping had apparently a very beneficial
effect upon him. He burst into tears as he
stood and looked at it.
" Harris," he said, "if it pleases God
to let me reach those ships, I swear never
to utter a bad or discontented word
again."
As we proceeded down the hill we now
met with the first symptoms of good feeling
from the inhabitants, it was our fortune to
experience during our retreat. A number
of old women stood on either side the road,
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 231
and occasionally handed us fragments of
bread as we passed them. It was on this
day, and whilst I looked anxiously upon
the English shipping in the distance, that
I first began to find my eyesight failing, and
it appeared to me that I was fast growing
blind. The thought was alarming; and I
made desperate eftorts to get on. Bell,
however, won the race this time. He was a
very athletic and strong-built fellow, and
left me far behind, so that I believe at that
time I was the very last of the retreating
force that reached the beach, though doubt-
less many stragglers came dropping up
after the ships had sailed, and were left be-
hind.
As it waSj when I did manage to gain the
sea-shore, it was only by the aid of my rifle
that I could stand, and my eyes were now
so dim and heavy that with difiiculty I
made out a boat which seemed the last that
had put oif.
232 RECOLLECTIONS OF
Fearful of being left half blind in the
lurch, I took off my cap, and placed it on
the muzzle of my rifle as a signal, for I was
totally unable to call out. Luckily, Lieu-
tenant Cox, who was aboard tlie boat, saw
me, and ordered tlie men to return, and,
making one more elfort, I walked into the
water, and a sailor stretching his body over
the gunwale, seized me as if I had been an
infant, and hauled me on board. His words
were characteristic of the English sailor, I
thought.
" Hollo there, you lazy lubber! " he said,
as he grasped hold of me, " who the h—11
do you think is to stay humbugging all day
for such a fellow as you? "
The boat, I found, was crowded with our
exhausted men, who lay helplessly at the
bottom, the heavy sea every moment drench-
ing them to the skin. As soon as we reached
the vessel's side, the sailors immediately
aided us to get on board, which in our ex-
EIFLEMAN HAERIS. 233
hausted state was not a very easy matter, as
they were obliged to place ropes in oar
hands, and heave us up by setting their
shoulders under us, and hoisting away as if
they had been pushing bales of goods on
board.
" Heave away !" cried one of the boat's
crew, as I clung to a rope, quite unable
to pull myself up, " heave away, you lub-
ber I"
The tar placed his shoulder beneath me
as he spoke, and hoisted me up against the
ship's side; I lost my grasp of the rope and
should have fallen into the sea, had it
not been for two of the crew. These
men grasped me as I was falling, and
drew me into the port-hole like a bundle
of foul clothes, tearing away my belt and
bayonet in the effort, which fell into the
sea.
It was not very many minutes after I was
on board, for I lay where the sailors had
234 RECOLLECTIONS OF
first placed me after dragging me through
the port-hole, ere I was sound asleep. I
slept long and heavily, and it was only the
terrible noise and bustle on board conse-
quent upon a gale having sprung up, that
at length awoke me. The wind increased
as the night came on, and soon we had to
experience all the horrors of a storm at sea.
The pumps were set to work; the sails were
torn to shreds; the coppers were overset;
and we appeared in a fair way, I thought,
of going to the bottom. Meanwhile, the
pumps were kept at work night and day in-
cessantly till they were choked ; and the gale
growing worse and worse, all the soldiery
were ordered below, and the hatches closed
;
soon after w^hich the vessel turned over on
one side, and lay a helpless log upon the
water. In this situation an officer was
placed over us, with his sword drawn in one
hand, and a lantern in the other, in order
to keep us on the side which was upper-
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 235
most, so as to give the vessel a chance of
righting herself in the roaring tide. The
officer's task was not an easy one, as the
heaving waves frequently sent us sprawling
from the part we clung to, over to the lower-
most part of the hold, where he stood, and
he was obliged every minute to drive us back.
We remained in this painful situation for,
I should think, five or six hours, expecting
every instant to be our last, when, to our
great joy, the sea suddenly grew calm, the
wind abated, the vessel righted herself, and
we were once more released from our prison,
having tasted nothing in the shape of food
for at least forty-eight hours. Soon after
this we arrived in sight of Spithead, where
we saw nine of our convoy, laden with
troops, which had been driven on shore in
the gale. After remaining off Spithead for
about five or six days, one fine morning we
received orders to disembark, and our poor
bare feet once more touched Enfrlish 2:round.
236 RECOLLECTIONS OF
The inhabitants flocked down to the beach
to see us as we did so, and they must have
been a good deal surprised at the spectacle
we presented. Our beards were long and
ragged; almost all were without shoes and
stockings; many had their clothes and ac-
coutrements in fragments, with their heads
swathed in old rags, and our weapons were
covered with rust; whilst not a few had now,
from toil and fatigue, become quite blind.
Let not the reader, however, tliink, that
even now we were to be despised as soldiers.
Long marches, inclement weather, and want
of food, had done their work upon us; but
we w^ere perhaps better than we appeared,
as the sequel shewed. Under the gallant
Crauftird we had made some tremendous
marches, and even galled our enemies
severely, making good our retreat by the
way of Vigo. But our comrades in adver-
sity, and who had retired by the other
road to Corunna, under General Moore,
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 237
turned to bay there, and shewed the
enemy that the English soldier is not to be
beaten even under the most adverse circum-
stances.
The field of death and slaughter, the
march, the bivouac, and the retreat, are no
bad places in which to judge of men. I
have had some opportunities of judging
them in all these situations, and I should
say, that the British are amongst the most
splendid soldiers in the world. Give them
fair play, and they are unconquerable. For
my own part, I can only say, that I enjoyed
life more whilst on actice service, than 1
have ever done since ; and as I sit at work in
my shop in Richmond Street, Soho, I look
back upon that portion of my time spent in
the fields of the Peninsula as the only part
worthy of remembrance. It is at such
times that scenes long passed come back
upon my mind as if they had taken place
but yesterday. I remember even th^ very
238 RECOLLECTIONS OF
appearance of some of the regiments en-
gaged; and comrades, long mouldered to
dust, I see again performing the acts of
heroes.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 239
CHAPTER XV.
THE WALCHEEEN EXPEDITrON.
Filling up the ranks—Going out recruiting —Bagging a
blackbird—Coaxing the militia, and hoaxing them—
A
demon runner—Winning a commission.
After the disastrous retreat to Corunna,
the Rifles were reduced to a sickh^ skeleton,
if I may so term it. Out of perhaps nine
hundred of as active and fine fellows as
ever held a weapon in the field of an
enemy's country, we paraded some three
hundred weak and crest-fallen invalids.
I myself stood the third man in my own
company, which was reduced from near a
hundred men, to but three. Indeed, I think
240 KECOLLECTIONS OF
Ave had scarce a company on parade stronger
than ten or twelve men, at the first parade.
After a few parades, however, our com-
panies gradually were augmented (by those
of the sick who recovered), but many of
those who did not sink in hospital, were
never more of much service as soldiers.
The captain of my company was sick,
and Lieutenant Hill commanded the three
men who answered for No. 4 on this occa-
sion.
I remember he smiled when he looked at
me. " Harris," he said, " you look the best
man here, this morning. You seem to have
got over this business well."
" Yes, Sir," I said, " thank God I feel
pretty stout again now, which is more than
many can say."
Both battalions of the Rifles had been in
that retreat. The first battalion lay at
Colchester at this time. Ours (the second)
was quartered at Hythe. Colonel Beckwith
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 241
commanded the first, and Colonel Wade the
second. 1 remember the 43rd and 52nd
Regiments paraded with our battalion on
this occasion at Hythe, and both having
been with us on the Corunna retreat, cut as
poor a figure as we ourselves did.
After awhile, some of the strongest and
smartest of our men were picked out to go
on the recruiting service, and gather menfrom the militia regiments to fill up our
ranks. I myself started off with Lieuten-
ant Pratt, Sergeant-Major Adams, and
William Brotherwood, the latter of whomwas afterwards killed at Vittoria by a
cannon-ball, which at the same moment
ended Patrick Mahon and Lieutenant Hop-
wood.*
* The manner in which these three soldiers met withtheir death is extraordinary. As they were creeping fromtheir cover to try and shoot one of the French generals,who was much exposed, the enemy pointed a gun at them,and succeeded in sweeping down all three, as they crawledalong.
M
242 IlECOLLECTIONS OF
I was a shoemaker in the corps, and had
twenty pounds in my pocket which I had
saved up. With this money I hired a gig,
and the Sergeant-Major and myself cut a
very smart figure. The only difficulty was-,
that neither of us knew how to drive very
well, consequently we overturned the gig
on the first day, before we got half way on
our journey, and the shafts being broken
we were obliged to leave it behind us in a
small village, midway between Hythe and
Rye, and take to our legs, as was more
soldierlike and seemly. We reached Rye
the same night, and I recollect that I
succeeded in getting the first recruit there,
a strong, able-bodied chimney-sweep, named
John Lee. This fellow (whose appearance
I was struck with as he sat in the taproom
of the "Red Lion " on that night, together
with a little boy as black and sooty as him-
self) ofi'ered to enlist the moment I entered
the room, and I took him at his word, and
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 243
immediately called for the Sergeant-Major
for approval.
There 's nothing against my being a
soldier," said the sweep, " but my black
face; I 'm strong, active, and healthy, and
able to lick the best man in this room."
" Hang your black face," said the Ser-
geant-Major; " the Kifles can't be too dark:
you 're a strong rascal, and if you mean it,
we '11 take you to the doctor to-morrow and
make a Giniril of you the next day." So
we had the sweep that night into a large
tub of water, scoured him outside, and
filled him with punch inside, and made a
Rifleman of him.
The Sergeant-Major, however, on this
night, suspected from his countenance, what
afterwards turned out to be the case, that
Lee was rather a slippery fellow, and might
repent. So, after filling him drunk, he said
to me—" Harris, you have caught this bird,
and you must keep him fast. You must
M 2
244 EECOLLECTIONS OF
both sleep to-night handcuffed together in
the same bed, or he will escape us ;" which
I actually did, and the next morning re-
traced my steps with him to Hythe, to be
passed by the doctor of our regiment.
After rejoining Sergeant-Major Adams at
Rye, we started off for Hastings in Sussex,
and on our way we heard of the East Kent
Militia at Lydd ; so we stopped there about
an hour to display ourselves before them,
and try if we could coax a few of them into
the Rifles. We strutted up and down
before their ranks arm-in-arm, and made no
small sensation amongst them. When on
the recruiting service in those days, men
were accustomed to make as gallant a show
as they could, and accordingly we had both
smartened ourselves up a trifle. The
Sergeant-Major was quite a beau, in his
way ; he had a sling belt to his sword like
a field-officer, a tremendous green feather in
his cap, a flaring sash, his whistle and
RIFLEMAN HAURIS. 245
powder-flask displayed, an officer's pelisse
over one shoulder, and a double allowance
of ribbons in his cap ; whilst I myself was
also as smart as I dared appear, with myrifle slung at my shoulder.
In this guise we made as much of our-
selves as if we had both been Generals, and,
as I said, created quite a sensation, the
militia-men cheering us as we passed up
and down, till they were called to order by
the officers.
The permission to volunteer was not then
given to the East Kent, although it came
out a few days afterwards, and we persuaded
many men, during the hour we figured
before them, that the Rifles were the only
boys fit for them to join.
After looking up the East Kent, we
reached Hastings that same night, where we
found that the volunteering of the Lei-
cester Militia (who were quartered there)
had commenced, and that one hundred and
246 RECOLLECTIONS OF
twenty-five men and two officers had given
their names to the 7th Fusileers, and these,
Adams and I determined to make change
their minds in our favour if we could.
The appearance of our Rifle uniform, and
a little of Sergeant Adams's* blarney, so
took the fancies of the volunteers, that we
got every one of them for the Rifle corps,
and both officers f into the bargain. We
* The history of Sergeant-Major Adams is somewhatsingular. I was his great friend at this time, and he con-
fided some part of it to me. He had been a croppy, (a rebel)
and had fought at Vinegar Hill. W^hen the rebels were
dtfcated he escaped, and lived some time in the wilds of
Connemara. He afterwards thought it best to enlist in the
Donegal Militia, and then volunteered to the Rifles. Here
he soon rose (whilst in Spain) to the rank of Sergeant.
During the retreat to Corunna, Sergeant-Major Crosby
failed, and Craufurd promoted Adams in his place. At St.
Sebastian he was noticed by General Graham, for his bra-
very with the forlorn hope, a commission was given him, and
he afterwards joined a regiment in Gibraltar, where he was
made Adjutant. He then went to America, where he served
with credit till he died. I believe I was the only man in
the regiment who knew of his having been a rebel, and I
kept the secret faithfully till his death.
t The names of these two officers were Chapman and
Freere, and 1 believe they are living now.
RIFLEMAN HARRIS, 247
worked hard in this business. I may say
that for three days and nights we kept up
the dance and the drunken riot. Every
volunteer got ten guineas bounty, which,
except the two kept back for necessaries,
they spent in every sort of excess, till all
was gone. Then came the reaction. The
drooping spirits, the grief at parting with
old comrades, sweethearts, and wives, for
the uncertain fate of war. And then came
on the jeers of the old soldier; the laughter
of Adams and myself, and comrades, and
our attempts to give a fillip to their spirits
as we marched them off from the friends they
were never to look upon again ; and as we
termed it, ""shove them on to glory'"—a glory
they were not long in achieving, as out of
the hundred and fifty of the Leicestershire,
which we enlisted in Hastings, scarce one
man, I should say, who served, but could
have shewn at the year's end some token of
the fields he had fought in ; very many found
248 RECOLLECTIONS OF
a grave, and some returned to Hythe with
the loss of their limbs.
I remember the story of many of these
men's lives ; that of one in particular, named
Demon, whom I myself enlisted from the
Leicester Militia, is not a little curious.
Demon was a smart and very active man,
and serving as corporal in tlie light company
of the Leicestershire when T persuaded him
to join our corps, where he was immediately
made a sergeant in the 3rd battalion, then
just forming; and from which he eventually
rose to be a commissioned officer in one of
our line regiments, but whose number I
cannot now remember. The cause which
led to Demon's merits being first noticed
w^as not a little curious, being neither more
nor less than a race.
It happened that at Shoreham Cliff, (soon
after he joined) a race was got up amongst
some Kentish men, who were noted for their
swiftness, and one of them, who had beaten
EIELEJIAN HARRIS. 249
his companions, challenged any soldier in
the Rifles to run against him for two hun-
dred pounds. The sum was large, and the
runner was of so much celebrity, that al-
though we had some active young fellows
amongst us, no one seemed inclined to take
the chance, either officers or men, till at
length Demon stepped forth and said he
would run against this Kentish boaster, or
any man on the face of the earth, and fight
him afterwards into the bargain, if any one
could be found to make up the money.
Upon this, an officer subscribed the money,
and the race was arranged.
The affair made quite a sensation, and
the inhabitants of the different villages for
miles around flocked to see the sport ; besides
which the men from different regiments in
the neighbourhood, infantry, cavalry, and
artillery, also were much interested, and
managed to be present, which caused the
scene to be a very gay one. In short, the
m3
250 RECOLLECTIONS OF
race commenced, and the odds were much
against the soldier at starting, as he was a
much less man than the other, and did not
at all look like the winner. He however
kept well up with his antagonist, and the
affair seemed likely to end in a dead heat,
which would undoubtedly have been the
case, but Demon, when close upon the win-
ning-post, gave one tremendous spring
forward, and won it by his body's length.
This race, in short, led on to notice and
promotion. General Mackenzie was in com-
mand of the garrison at Hythe. He was
present, and was highly delighted at the
Rifleman beating the bumpkin, and saw that
the winner Avas the very cut of a soldier,
and in short that Demon was a very smart
fellow, so that, eventually, the news of the
race reached the first battalion then fighting
in Spain. Sir Andrew Barnard, as far as I
recollect from hearsay, at the time, was
then in command of the Rifles in Spain;
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 251
and, as I now remember the story, either
he or some other officer of rank, upon
being told of the circumstance, remarked
that, as Demon was such a smart runner in
England, there was very good ground for a
Rifleman to use his legs in Spain. He was
accordingly ordered out with the next draft
to that country, where he so much distin-
guished himself that he obtained his com-
mission, as already mentioned.
I could give many more anecdotes con-
nected with the recruiting at this time for
the three battalions of Rifles, but the above
will suffice ; and soon after the incident I
have just narrated (our companies being
full of young and active men), we started
off with the expedition, then just formed,
for Walcheren. I could not help feeling,
when we paraded, that I stood enranked for
this first expedition comparatively amongst
strangers, since in the company I belonged
to, not a single man, except James Brooks,
252 RECOLLECTIONS OF
whom I have before named, then paraded
with me who had been a fellow comrade in
the fields of Portugal and Spain. I felt
also the loss of my old Captain (Leech),
whom I much loved and respected, and who
left the second battalion at that time to be
promoted in the first. When I heard of
this change, I stepped from the ranks and
offered to exchange into the first, but Lieu-
tenant Hill, who was present, hinted to Cap-
tain Hart (my new commanding officer)not
to let me go, as, if he did, he would perhaps
repent it. I will not say here what the
Lieutenant then said of me, but he persuaded
Captain Hart to keep me, as my character
had been so good in the former campaign
;
and accordingly I remained in the second
battalion, and started on the Walcheren
expedition.
From Hythe to Deal was one day's march
;
and I remember looking along the road at
the good appearance the different regiments
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 258
made as we marched along. It was as line
an expedition as ever I looked at, and the
army seemed to stretch, as I regarded them,
the whole distance before us to Dover.
254 EECOLLECTIONS OF
CHAPTER XVI.
THE WALCHEREN EXPEDITION.
The embarkation — Flushing— The Walcheren fever—The doctors at fault— The Riflemen attacked — Theone survivor out of thirty-nine — The veteran battalion—The independent companies.
At Deal, the Rifles embarked in the Su-
perb, a seventy-four, and a terrible outcry
there was amongst the women upon the beach
on the embarkation ; for the ill consequences
of having too many women amongst us had
been so apparent in our former campaign
and retreat>that the allowance of wives was
considerably curtailed on this occasion, and
the distraction of the poor creatures at part-
ing with their husbands was quite heart-
rending; some of them clinging to the men so
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 255
resolutely, that the officers were obliged to
give orders to have them separated by force.
In fact, even after we were in the boats
and fairly pushed off, the screaming and
howling of their farewells rang in our ears
far out at sea.
The weather being fair, and the fleet
having a grand and imposing appearance,
many spectators (even from London) came
to look at us as we lay in the Downs, and
we set sail (I think on the third day from
our embarkation) in three divisions.
A fair wind soon carried us off Flushing,
where one part ofthe expedition disembarked
;
the other made for South Beveland, among
which latter I myself was. The five com-
panies of Kifles immediately occupied a
very pretty village, with rows of trees on
either side its principal streets, where wehad plenty of leisure to listen to the cannon-
ading going on amongst the companies wehad left at Flushing.
256 RECOLLECTIONS OF
The appearauce of the country (such as
it was) was extremely pleasant, and for a
few days the men enjoyed themselves much.
But at the expiration of (I think) less time
than a week, an awful visitation came sud-
denly upon us. The first I observed of it
was one day as I sat in my billet, when I
beheld whole parties of our Riflemen in the
street shaking with a sort of ague, to such
a degree that they could hardly walk ; strong
and fine young men who had been but a
short time in the service seemed suddenly
reduced in strength to infants, unable to
stand upright—so great a shaking had seized
upon their whole bodies from head to heel.
The company 1 belonged to was quartered
in a barn, and I quickly perceived that hardly
a man there had stomach for the bread that
was served out to him, or even to taste his
grog, although each man had an allowance
of half-a-pint of gin per day. In fact I
should say that, about three weeks from the
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 257
day we landed, T and two others were the only
individuals who could stand upon our legs.
They lay groaning in rows in the barn,
amongst the heaps of lumpy black bread
they were unable to eat.
This awful spectacle considerably alarmed
the officers,* who were also many of them
attacked. The naval doctors came on shore
to assist the regimental surgeons, who, in-
deed, had more upon their hands than they
could manage ; Dr. Ridgeway of the Rifles,
and his assistant, having nearly five hundred
patients prostrate at the same moment. In
short, except myself and three or four others,
the whole concern was completely floored.
Under these circumstances, which con-
siderably confounded the doctors, orders
were issued (since all hopes of getting
the men upon their legs seemed gone) to
* Lord Chatham (as ia well known) commanded this
expedition, and Marshal Beresford had command of that
part of it which occupied the island of South Beveland at
this time.
258 RECOLLECTIONS OF
embark them as fast as possible, which was
accordingly done with some little difficulty.
The poor fellows made every effort to get on
board ; those who were a trifle better than
others crawled to the boats ; many supported
each other; and many were carried helpless
as infants.
At Flushing matters were not much better,
except that there the soldiers had a smart
skirmish with their enemies before the fever
and ague attacked them. On shipboard the
aspect of affairs did not mend; the men
beginning to die so fast that they committed
ten or twelve to the deep in one day.
It was rather extraordinary that myself,
and Brooks, and a man named Bowley, who
had all three been at Corunna, were at this
moment unattackcd by the disease, and, not-
withstanding the awful appearance of the
pest- ship we were in, I myself had little fear
of it, I thought myself so hardened that it
could not touch me. It happened, however.
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 259
that I stood sentinel (men being scarce)
over the hatchway, and Brooks, who was
always a jolly and jeering companion (even
in the very jaws of death) came past me,
and offered me a lump of pudding, it being
pudding-day on board. At that moment
I felt struck with a deadly faintness,
shaking all over like an aspen, and my teeth
chattering in my head so that I could hardly
hold my rifle.
Brooks looked at me for a moment, with
the pudding in his hand, which he saw I could
not take. "Hallo," he said, "why Harris,
old boy, you are not going to begin, are you?"
I felt unable to answer him, but only
muttered out as I trembled, " For God's sake
get me relieved, Brooks !"
"Hallo?" said Brooks, "it's all up with
Harris ! You're catched hold of at last, old
chap."
In fact I was soon sprawling upon the
forecastle, amongst many others, in a
260 RECOLLECTIONS OF
miserable state, our knapsacks and our great-
coats over us. In this state the doctors,
during our short voyage, wei*e fully em-
ployed;pails of infusion of bark were carried
amongst us and given to the men in horn
tumblers, and thus we arrived at Dover.
As T lay on the deck, I looked up at that
splendid castle in the distance. It was
identified with old England, and many a
languid eye was cheered by its sight. Men
naturally love to die upon their native land,
and I felt I could now do so contentedly
!
Nay, I have that frowning English fortress
in ni}'' eye, at this moment, as I then
beheld it. The AVarwickshire Militia were
at this time quartered at Dover. They
came to assist in disembarking us, and were
obliged to lift many of us out of the boats
like sacks of flour. If any of those militia-
men remain alive, they will not easily forget
that piece of duty ; for I never beheld men
more moved than they were at our helpless
KIFLEMAN HAERIS. 261
state. Many died at Dover and numbers
in Deal; whilst those who had somewhat
rallied, on getting from the land of pesti-
lence, were paraded, in order to get them on
to their old quarters at Hythe.
I remember that the 43rd and 52nd
Kegiments (all that were able) marched
with us this day to Hythe ; but I'm afraid
we did not (any of us) cut much of a figure
on the road. In fact, such was the shaking
fever we felt, we were left pretty much to
our own discretion to get to our journey's
end in the best manner we could. Many,
indeed, would never have got into barracks
without assistance. In short, when I sat
down exhausted by the road -side several
times during the march, and looked at the
men, I thought it bore in some degree a
similitude to the Corunna retreat ; so awfully
had disease enfeebled them.
The hospital at Hythe being filled with
the sick, the barracks became a hospital,
262 RECOLLECTIONS OF
and as deaths ensued, and thinned the
wards, the men were continually removed,
making a progress from barrack to hospital,
and from hospital to the grave. The waj*d
of the hospital in which I myself was, ac-
comodated eleven men, and I saw, from mybed in the corner where I lay, this ward
refilled ten times, the former patients being
all carried out to the grave. I had been
gradually removed as the men died, until I
was driven up into a corner of the ward,
where I lay, and had plenty of leisure to
observe my comrades in misfortune, and
witness their end. Some I beheld die
quietly, and others were seized in various
ways. Many got out of bed in a shivering
delirium, and died upon the floor in the
night-time.
Having been a shoemaker in the Rifles,
I had saved during my service near two
hundred pounds, which I had in the bank
at Hythe at this time, so that I was enabled
EIFLEMAN HARRIS 263
to procure extra wine and other nourishing
things, and often gave my companions in
misfortune a treat also; and this I think
enabled my iron constitution to keep death
so long at bay.
I saw one or two of my old Peninsular
comrades, whom I had often seen fighting
bravely in the field, die in this hospital in a
miserable condition, their bodies being
swollen up like barrels.
Everything was done for us that skill
could devise, and nothing could exceed the
kindness and attention of Dr. Ridgeway
towards us. Hot baths were brought into
the hospital—and many a man died whilst
in the bath.
I remember hearing, as I lay sick, that
the firing over the graves of our comrades
was dispensed with, the men died so fast;
and when I got out, and went to the
churchyard to look upon their graves I
saw them lying in two lines there. As
264 RECOLLECTIONS OF
they in life had been enranked, so they lay
also in similar order in death.
The medical men made every effort to
trace the immediate cause of this mortality
amongst us; and almost all the men were
examined after death ; but it was of no
avail, as nothing could arrest the progress
of the malady after it had reached a certain
height. The doctor, I heard, generally
attributed the deaths, in most cases, to
enlargement of the spleen, as almost all
were swollen and diseased in that part. I
myself was dreadfully enlarged in the side,
and for many years afterwards carried " an
extra paunch."
As soon as the prospect began to brighten,
and the men to recover a little, we managed
to muster outside the hospital, some three
hundred of us parading there morning and
evening, for the benefit of fresh air; and
medicine was served out to us as we stood
enranked, the hospital orderlies passing
EIFLEMAN HARRIS. 265
along the files, and giving each man his
dose from large jugs which they carried.
As we got better, an order arrived to
furnish two companies of the second bat-
talion, and two companies of the third bat-
talion, of Rifles, for Spain, as they were
much wanted there. Accordingly an in-
spection took place, and two hundred men
were picked out, all of whom were most
anxious to go. I myself was rejected at
that time, as unfit, which I much regretted.
However, on making application, after a
few days, I was accepted, principally on the
recommendation of Lieutenant Cochrane,
who much wished for me ; and I, in conse-
quence, once more started for foreign service.
From Hythe to Portsmouth, where we
were to embark, was eight days' march;
but the very first day found out some of the
Walcheren lads. I myself was assisted that
night to my billet, the ague having again
seized me, and on the third day waggon^
N
266 RECOLLECTIONS OF
svere put in requisition to get us along
the road. As we proceeded, some of those
men who had relapsed died by the way, and
were buried in different places we passed
through. At Chichester, I recollect, a man
was taken out of the waggon in which I ray-
self lay, who had died beside me; and at
that place he was buried.
At Portsmouth I remained one night,
billeted with my fellow-travellers at the
Dolphin. Hero I was visited by an uncle
who resided in the town; and who was
much shocked at seeing me so much re-
duced, concluding it was impossible I could
survive many days. Such was the sad state
we were again reduced to. The next morn-
ing spring-waggons were procured for us,
and we were sent back to Hilsea barracks
for the benefit of medical advice; and I
took a farewell of my uncle, expecting never
to see him again. Such, however, was not
to be the case, as, out of the thirty-nine
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 267
Eiflemen who went into Hilsea hospital, I
alone survived.
It may seem to my readers extraordinary
that I should twice be the survivor of so
many of my comrades. I can only, there-
fore, refer them to the medical men who at-
tended us, if they yet live, Dr. Eidgeway,
of the Rifles, and Dr. Frazer, who at that
time was the surgeon at Hilsea.
I must not forget to mention an act of
great kindness and humanity which was per-
formed towards the soldiery whilst we lay
sick at Hilsea Hospital. Lady Grey, who, I
believe, was the wife of the Commissioner
of Portsmouth Dockyard at this time, was
so much struck with the state of the suffer-
ers, that she sent, one morning, two carts
loaded with warm clothing for them; giving
to each man, of whatsoever regiment, who
had been at Walcheren, two pairs of flannel
drawers and two flannel waistcoats. This
circumstance was greatly appreciated by the
268 RECOLLECTIONS OF
men, and many, like myself, have never for-
gotten it.
After this, being the only Rifleman left at
llilsea, Lieutenant Bardell made application
to the General for leave for me to go into
Dorsetshire to see my friends, which was
granted; but the doctor shook his head,
doubting I should ever be able to endure
the journey. In about a week, however, I
considered myself fit to undertake it ; and,
accordingl)-, a non-commissioned officer of
one of the line regiments put me into a
Salisbury coach. A lady and gentleman
were my fellow passengers inside, and we
started about four o'clock. They seemed
not much to relish the look of a sick soldier
in such close quarters; and, indeed, we
had hardly cleared the town of Gosport be-
fore I gave them a dreadful fright. In
short, I was attacked all at once with one of
my periodical ague-fits, and shook to so
desperate a degree that they were both
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 269
horror-struck, and almost inclined to keep
me company in my trembling. The lady
thought that both herself and husband were
lost, and would certainly catch the com-
plaint ; expressing herself as most unhappy
in having begun her journey on that day.
These fits generally lasted an hour and a
quarter, and then came on a burning fever,
during which I called for water at every
place where the coach stopped. In fact,
coachman, guard, and passengers, outside
and in, by no means liked it, and expected
every minute that I should die in the coach.
" Here 's a nice go," said the coachman, as
he stopped at a place called Whitchurch,
" catch me ever taking up a sick soldier
again if I can help it. This here poor
devil 's going to make a die of it in mycoach."
It seemed, indeed, as if I had personally
offended the burly coachman, for he made
an oration at every place he stopped at, and
270 RECOLLECTIONS OF
sent all the helpers and idlers to look at me,
as I sat in his coach, till at last I was obliged
to beg of him not to do so.
I had two attacks of this sort durinsr the
night, and was so bad that I myself thought
with the coachman, that I should never o^et
out of the vehicle alive. Never, I should
think, had passengers so unpleasant a jour-
ney as the lady and gentleman I travelled
with.
At length, early in the morning, the
coach stopped at a village one mile from myfather's residence, which was on the estate
of the present Marquis of Anglesey. I
had left my father's cottage quite a boy, and
although I knew the landlord of the little
inn where the coached stopped, and several
other persons I saw there, none recognised
me; so I made myself known as well as I
could, for I was terribly exhausted, and the
landlord immediately got four men to carry
me home.
EIFLEMAN HAERIS. 271
My father was much moved at beholding
me return in so miserable a plight, as were
also my stepmother and my brother. I re-
mained with them eight months, six of which
I lay in a hopeless state in bed, certificates
being sent every month to Hythe, stating
my inability to move ; and during which time
Captain Hart sent four letters to the com-
manding officer, desiring I might be drafted
out, if possible, to Spain, as, being a handi-
craft, I was much wanted there.
The medical men round the neighbour-
hood hearing of my state, many of them
came to see me, in order to observe the
nature of a complaint that had proved so
fatal to our soldiers.
At the end of the eighth month (being
once more somewhat recovered, and able to
crawl about, with the aid of a stick, a few
yards from our cottage door), as my mother-
in-law had once or twice expressed herself
burthened by this long illness, I resolved to
272 RECOLLECTIONS OF
attempt to return to my regiment. I was
therefore transported in a cart to the King's
Arms Inn, at Dorchester, my body being
swollen up hard as a barrel, and my limbs
covered with ulcers. Here tlie surgeons of
the 9th and 11th Dragoons made an exam-
ination of me, and ordered me into Dorches-
ter hospital, where I remained seven weeks
;
and here my case completely puzzled the
faculty.
At length Dr. Burroughs, on making his
rounds, caught sight of me as I sat on my
bed, dressed in my green uniform.
'' Hallo ! Rifleman," he said, " how came
you here?"
Being told, he looked very sharply at me,
and seemed to consider.
" AYalcheren," he inquired, " eh?"
" Yes, sir," I said, " and it has not done
with me yet."
" Strip, my m,an," he said, " and lie on
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 273
your back. What have you done for him ?"
he asked sharply of the doctor*
The doctor told him.
"Then try with him mercury, sir," he
said, " both externally and internally"
After saying which in a rapid manner, he
turned as quickly, and proceeded in his
rounds amongst the rest of the patients.
I was now salivated most desperately,
after which I got a little better, and resolved,
at all hazards, to try and rejoin my regi-
ment, for I was utterly tired of the hospital
life I had altogether so long led. " For
Heaven's sake," I said, " let me go and die
with ray own regiment !
"
With some little difficulty I got leave to
go, and once again started, at my own ex-
pense, for Hythe, in Kent, by the coach.
Before doing so, however, to my surprise,
the medical man who had attended meunder my father's roof, brought me in his
bill, which was a pretty good one, amount-
274 RECOLLECTIONS OF
ing to sixty pounds ! I thought this was
pretty well for a poor soldier to be charged.
Having stiU, however, enough left of mysavings, I paid it; but I kept the bill, and
afterwards shewed it to Dr. Scott, of the
Rifles, who remarked—" It could not have
been higher, Harris, if you had been a man
possessing a thousand a year."
When I made my appearance in the bar-
rack-square at Hythe, I was like one risen
from the dead ; for I had been so long miss-
ing from amongst the few I knew there, that
I was almost forgotten. A hardy Scot,
named Mc Pherson, was one of the first who
recognised me.
" Eh, my certie," he said, " here's Harris
come back. Why I thought, man, ye was
gane amangst the lave o' them, but the deil
will na kill ye, I think !
"
The day after my arrival I was once more
in hospital, and here I remained under Dr.
Scott for twenty-eight weeks. Such was
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 275
the Walcheren fever, and to this day I
sometimes feel the remains of it in damp
weather. From Hythe I was sent, amongst
some other invalids, to Chelsea. Sixty of us
marched together on this occasion. Many
had lost their limbs, which, from wounds
as well as disease, had been amputated ; and
altogether we did not make a very formidable
appearance, being frequently obliged to be
halted in the road to repair our strength^
when the whole turn-outwouldbe seen sitting
or sprawling at full length by the way side.
This march took us ten days to accomplish,
and when we halted at Pimlico, we were
pretty well done up. We were billeted in
the different public-houses in Chelsea. With
others, I lodged at the Three Crowns, close
beside the Bun House.
I remember we paraded in the Five Fields,
then an open space, but now covered with
elegant mansions, and become a part of
London. Three thousand invalids mustered
27G RECOLLECTIONS OF
here every morning—a motley group, pre-
senting a true picture of the toils of war.
There were the lame, the halt, and the blind,
the sick, and the sorry, all in a lump. With
those who had lost their limbs, there was not
much trouble, as they became pensioners;
but others were, some of them, closely ex-
amined from day to day as to their eligibility
for service. Amongst others I was examined
by Dr. Lephan.
" What age are you, Rifleman?" he said.
" Thirty-two, sir," I replied.
" What trade have you been of ? " he in-
quired.
" A shoemaker," I replied.
" Where have you been?" he said.
'* In Denmark, Spain, Portugal, and
Walcheren," I said, " in which latter place
I met the worst enemy of all."
" Never mind that," he said, " you '11 do
yet; and we will send you to a Veteran
Battalion."
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 277
Accordingly I was appointed to the 8th
Veteran Battalion, with others, and sent to
Fort Cumberland. Here I joined Captain
Creswell's company—an officer who had lost
one eye, whilst in the 36th Regiment, in
Spain.
I was again the only green jacket of the
lot, and the officers assembled round me
during the first muster, and asked me
numerous questions about my service
amongst the Rifles, for we had a great
reputation in the army at this time. Major
Caldwell commanded the battalion ; he had
been in the fifth, and received a grievous
wound in the head. He was a kind and
soldier-like man, but if you put him out of
temper, you would soon find out that he
felt his wound. Captain Picard was there,
too, and Captain Flaherty, and Lieutenant
Moorhead; all of them were more or
less shattered, whilst their men, although
most of them were young, were very good
278 RECOLLECTIONS OF
specimens of war's stern service. One,
perhaps, liad a tale to tell of Salamanca,
where lie lost an eye, another spoke of
the breach at Badajoz, where he got six
balls at once in his body. Many paraded
with sticks in their hands, and altogether it
was something of a different sort of force to
the active chaps I had been in the habit of
servin"" araono-st. In fact, I much re2:retted
my green jacket, and grieved at being
obliged to part with it for the red coat of
the Veterans.
I remained in the Veterans only four
months, as, at the expiration of that time,
Napoleon was sent to Elba. AVe were
then marched to Chelsea, to be disbanded,
where we met thousands of soldiers lining,
the streets, and lounging about before the
different public-houses, with every descrip-
tion of wound and casualty incident
to modern warfare. There hobbled the
maimed light-infantry man, the heavy dra-
RIFLEMAN HAREIS. 279
goon, the hussar, the artillery-man, the
fusileer, and specimens from every regiment
in the service. The Irishman, shouting and
brandishing his crutch ; the English soldier,
reeling with drink; and the Scot, with
grave and melancholy visage, sitting on the
steps of the public-house amongst the crowd,
listening to the skirl of his comrades' pipes,
and thinking of the blue hills of his native
land. Such were Chelsea and Pimlico in
1814.
In about a week's time I was discharged,
and received a pension of sixpence per day
;
and, for the first time since I had been a
shepherd lad on Blandford Downs, I saw
myself in plain clothes, and with liberty
to go and come where I liked. Before,
however, my pension became due, I was
again called upon to attend, together with
others, in consequence of the escape of
Bonaparte from Elba ; but I was then in so
miserable a plight with the remains of the
280 RECOLLECTIONS OF
fever and ague, which still attacked me
every other day, that I did not answer the
call, whereby I lost my pension And here
I may perhaps as well mention a slight
anecdote of the Great Duke.
The Duke, I was told, observed in Spain
that several men who had come out from
England after Walcheren were unable to
keep up on the march, and afterwards com-
pletely failed. He inquired the reason of
this, and was told they were men who had
been on the Walcheren expedition.
"Then never," said the Duke, "let
another man be sent here who has been
at Walcheren."
At Fort Cumberland I remember another
curious circumstance, which may, perhaps,
in these times, be thought worthy of nar-
ration.
Many of the French prisoners had volun-
teered into the English service, and were
formed into four companies, called the
RIFLEMAN HARRIS. 281
Independent Companies. These men were
smart-looking fellows, and wore a green
uniform, something like the Rifles. Whilst
I was with the Veterans, one of these men
deserted and was re-taken at Portsmouth,
and tried by court-martal at Fort Cumber-
land. Besides his crime of desertion he
had aggravated it by gross insubordination,
and he was accordingly sentenced to be
flogged. We all, French and English,
paraded to see the sentence carried into
effect, and, in case of anything happening,
and our opposite neighbours, the green
jackets, shewing fight, the Veterans were
all ordered to load with ball.
When the culprit heard the sentence read
out to him, he was a good deal annoyed,
and begged that he might be shot, as would
have happened to him in his own country.
Such, however, it was explained to him,
could not be allowed, and he was accord-
ingly punished. The Duke of York, who
282 IIIFLE.AIAN HARRIS.
was then Commander-in-Chief, had thought
it necessary to make this example, although
all of us would have been glad to see him
forgiven.
Shortly after this, on Napoleon's being
sent to Elba, these men were all liberated
and sent home to their own country, with
four pounds given to each man; and glori-
ously drunk they all were at Portsmouth
the night they embarked.
The Veterans were very intimate and
friendly with these Frenchmen, as they
were quartered together ; and we were all
sorry to hear (whether true or false I can-
not say) that on their return, their uniforms
betraying their having served us, they were
grossly maltreated by their fellow country-
men.
THE END.
Clayton and Co., Printers, 10, Hart-street, Covent Garden.